Following the Calcutta High Court's order for deployment of over 82,000 central force personnel within Thursday, the TMC expressed confidence in winning the West Bengal rural polls and accused opposition parties of attempting to tarnish the state's image while facing an impending defeat.
The Opposition parties hoped that the court's ruling would be followed in letter and spirit by the State Election Commission (SEC) without bias towards the ruling dispensation.
The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday directed the SEC to requisition more than 82,000 central forces personnel within 24 hours for deployment in the July 8 panchayat elections.
A division bench presided by Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam noted that the SEC had requisitioned 82,000 central forces personnel during the 2013 rural polls in the state.
The development came a day after the Supreme Court dismissed pleas challenging a Calcutta High Court order directing the SEC to deploy central forces across West Bengal for the panchayat elections.
Widespread violence over the filing of nominations for July 8 polls has left five people dead and several injured in various parts of the state.
"We fully respect the judiciary. But the Opposition parties, using one or two incidents, are trying to mislead the judiciary. Three TMC workers had lost their lives in the violence perpetuated by the opposition parties. We would like to know whether central forces are being deployed in BJP-ruled Tripura during the rural polls," TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said.
He said that in the 2013 panchayat polls and subsequent elections, the TMC emerged victorious despite the deployment of central forces.
"Deployment of central forces will not have any bearing on our victory. We are confident of winning the rural polls. If the opposition parties want, they can ask for the Army also, but it won't stop us from achieving victory," he said.
Ghosh also said sensing defeat, the opposition parties are trying to change the narrative.
State BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya welcomed the court's ruling and said a fair election in Bengal is impossible without deploying central forces.
"We hope the SEC will follow the court order in letter and spirit," he said.
State Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury hoped that the deployment of central forces, which the SEC and state administration decides, would be done impartially.
"We welcome the court order. It must be ensured that central forces are deployed without bias towards the ruling dispensation," he said.
Left Front chairman Biman Bose claimed the state government has failed to ensure an atmosphere for free and fair elections.
Noting that the number of districts in West Bengal has increased from 17 in 2013 to 22 at present and also that the number of the electorate has increased in these 10 years, the court directed the SEC to requisition in 24 hours a sufficient number of central forces personnel.
The court directed that the number of companies to be requisitioned has to be more than that for the 2013 elections.
In the rural polls held five years ago, the TMC won 90 per cent of the panchayat seats and all 22 Zilla Parishads. However, these elections were marred by widespread violence and malpractices, with the opposition alleging they were prevented from filing nominations in several seats across the state.
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