The high polling percentage recorded in New Town on July 8 despite most voters not reaching the polling station has now reached the high court.
The Left Front candidates who contested in the eight seats of Jyangra-Hatiara 2 panchayat that were in the New Town Kolkata Developmeny Authority (NKDA) area have moved court along with a section of voters seeking an explanation for the riddle.
The case was heard on Tuesday by a single bench and Justice Amrita Sinha has directed the director-general (DG) of police “to conduct an enquiry to ascertain the allegation of the petitioners” and place a report before the court. The DG may “engage a responsible officer” but will have to file the report himself, it was directed.
The judge has also directed the block development officer of Rajarhat, who served as the returning officer for the Rajarhat block in the panchayat election, to file a report dealing with the contention of the petitioners by way of an affidavit.
Appearing on behalf of the petitioners, advocate Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya argued that a vote boycott call was given by a body of citizens (New Town Forum and News) and on the day of polling, no one was allowed to go to vote. Yet all the booths at Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Govt College registered high turnout. The average polling figure at the six booths at the college, according to figures collected by The Telegraph Salt Lake, is 82 per cent.
“This is a great innovation on how to rig an election,” Bhattacharyya quipped.
Justice Sinha fixed the case for hearing on August 3.
The Telegraph Salt Lake had reported on July 14 how all approaches to the college, which housed the booth, were barred with guard rails and voters, even on foot, were stopped from proceeding towards the polling booth by large groups of men and women.
Point counterpoint
The Opposition parties have welcomed the development. “We all know there was large-scale vote looting and citizens of New Town could not exercise their democratic right. We will expect the officials entrusted with the enquiry and report will perform their duties fairly and without any prejudice,” said Saptarshi Deb, a member of the CPM district committee who is in charge of New Town.
Speaking on behalf of the BJP, Bhaskar Roy, who had contested as the party’s candidate in the Assembly polls, lauded the Left Front’s move to take New Town’s polling controversy to court. “We have to unite against violence. Voters of New Town could not vote. Their rights will have to be protected. But at the same time, those who could not vote in the rest of Rajarhat, their case should also be heard in court,” said Roy, vice-president of the BJP’s Calcutta north suburban district unit.
Rajarhat New Town MLA Tapash Chatterjee questioned why the matter was taken to court more than a week after polling. “Some people without any political base are trying to play politics with the issue. The forum (NTFN) had boycotted the polls. But it is upto voters to decide if they want to obey the boycott call or not. There was not a single death in our area.”
He defended the mobilisation of party workers on the streets saying that a party with a large base had a right to deploy its workers during elections but he refused to call them outsiders. “Those who are being touted as outsiders may have been the original inhabitants of the land where New Town has come up. A panchayat comprises a large area.
They were from the same JyangraHatiara 2 panchayat though they might not be staying in the sparkling part of it,” Chatterjee said.
Asked if he supported voters being stopped from reaching their polling booths, he countered: “Let them prove that voters were obstructed. The court will step in if that is the case.”
Could you cast your vote in this panchayat election in New Town? Write to The Telegraph Salt Lake, 6 Prafulla Sarkar Street, Calcutta 700001 or email to saltlake@abp.in