Bengal CPIM plans to move court against state's poll panel for being partial

KOLKATA: Bengal CPIM on Wednesday hinted that they might move court against the state election commission, which, according to the opposition Marxists, did not play neutral role on August 13 when seven civic bodies in the state including the Durgapur Municipal Corporation (DMC) went for polls

The municipalities where elections were held on August 13 included Cooper's Camp, Haldia, Buniyadpur, Dhupguri, Panskura and Nalhati. On the same day, elections were also held at the DMC. The results will be announced on Thursday (August 17).

"Like all the previous elections, the state election commission had played a biased role on August 13. The Kolkata High Court had asked the police and commission to ensure free and peaceful elections in Durgapur. But the poll agency didn't react to the high court order and votes were looted at gun point in most of the booths under the DMC. We are planning to move court against looting of votes and biased role played by the state's poll agency," CPIM polit bureau member and party MP Md. Salim said.

A senior official of the state election commission, however, said that they had ordered re-polling in some booths under the DMC and refused to buy CPIM's allegation about the biased role played by them during August 13 civic polls. "What can we do if the CPIM fails to recruit election agents in all the booths ?," asked the official.

It appears that the CPIM's plan to move court against the state's poll agency was prompted by decisions taken by the opposition leader and Congress MLA Abdul Mannan who had moved Supreme Court and sought justice for lakhs of poor people who had lost their hard-earned money by investing those with the Saradha chit fund company. The apex court of the country had ordered CBI investigation into the chit fund scam.