The BJP on Tuesday hailed the Supreme Court's decision on the deployment of central forces for the upcoming panchayat elections in West Bengal, terming it a "lesson" for the Mamata Banerjee government and a "moral defeat" for the Trinamool Congress.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed pleas challenging a Calcutta High Court order directing the State Election Commission to requisition and deploy central forces across West Bengal for the panchayat elections.

BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said, "After the Supreme Court's judgement, the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal stands completely exposed that it was not only giving protection to violent activities but it approached the apex court using constitutional tools to stop efforts being taken to stop violence in the state." The Supreme Court's decision can be seen as an "advice to the state election commission" that it should ensure free and fair panchayat polls in the state instead of "acting as a tool of the state government", Trivedi said and alleged that "somewhere or the other" the state poll panel was not fulfilling its responsibility.

"After the violence, arson and murderous attacks on the BJP and other party workers, the Supreme Court's decision should be seen as a protector of democracy and a lesson to the West Bengal government," he added.

"They (Trinamool Congress) have already faced moral defeat in the court while the political outcome of the elections is awaited," the BJP spokesperson said, hitting out at the West Bengal government over a series of violence in the state during the nomination filing process for the panchayat polls.

At least three persons were shot dead and several others injured in violence in the state on the last day of nomination filing on June 15. Several incidents of clashes were reported from different parts of the state as the police had a harrowing time controlling the situation.

On Tuesday, a vacation bench of Supreme Court Justices B V Nagarathna and Manoj Misra said the fact remains that the tenor of the Calcutta High Court order was ultimately to ensure free and fair elections in the state since the polls were being conducted in one day.

The high court had on June 15 directed the State Election Commission to requisition and deploy central forces across West Bengal for the panchayat elections within 48 hours.

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