New Delhi: The Centre on Tuesday turned down West Bengal Chief Mininster Mamata Banerjee's demand for central forces during the panchayat elections in the state. Sources reveal that the Home Ministry turned down the demand saying it was the state government's responsibility to provide security for such polls.
However, the West Bengal State Election commission and the Panchayat Minister Subrata Mukherjee are yet to confirm the development. The matter is expected to be decided by a court, which will take a decision during a hearing on Wednesday.
"We do not provide Central forces to any state. These are local bodies' polls," said an official in the Home Ministry. West Bengal government had demanded 300 companies (around 30,000 personnel) of paramilitary forces from the Centre for the panchayat polls.
On Monday, Mamata had rejected the State Election Commission's demand for 1.49 lakh security personnel for the first phase of panchayat polls scheduled for next month, saying the state did not have requisite forces. State Chief Secretary Sanjay Mitra also said a fresh proposal is being sent to the Home Ministry seeking Central Paramilitary forces for the panchayat polls scheduled from July 2. ...
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05:36 PM, Jun 18, 2013
Kolkata: The Left Front on Tuesday accused West Bengal's State Election Commission (SEC) of failing to implement security measures for the upcoming panchayat (rural body) polls as directed by the Calcutta High Court. Left parties will hold demonstrations outside of the office of commission demanding adequate security for the polls. "The SEC has failed to implement the court's order on security issues regarding the panchayat election," said Left Front chairman...
05:25 AM, Jun 12, 2013
Kolkata: With the State Election Commission having held that it would not compromise on security for next month's grassroot polls, West Bengal Panchayat minister Subrata Mukherjee on Tuesday said that only the court could decide on its postponement. "Elections will be held. All preparations are underway and filing of nominations are on. The matter is now in court and only the court can say if the elections are not to...
07:55 PM, Jun 11, 2013
Midnapore: A CPI(M) candidate for the Panchayat polls, along with his two female family members and a child, was on Monday beaten up in Midnapore district allegedly by Trinamool Congress activists, police said. Manju Singh was at his home in Salboni area when the attackers beat him up. Two of his female family members and a child who were there during the incident also got injured, police said. All of...
12:38 AM, Jun 11, 2013
Kolkata: With no response from Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha as yet, the West Bengal government has decided to request other state governments for armed forces for the three phase panchayat polls beginning July 2. "The state government is now writing to some more states like Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat for state armed police (SAP), since we are yet to receive any response from the states we...
11:23 PM, Jun 04, 2013
Kolkata: West Bengal Election Commissioner Mira Pandey will move the court again on Monday over the state government's proposal to use security forces in booths and polling stations. The state Election Commission issued notification for the three-tier panchayat election in the state on May 27, which set in motion the poll process from May 29. The district magistrates are getting ready to conduct the polls on the basis of the...
09:05 AM, Jun 03, 2013
Siliguri: The BJP will put up candidates in almost all the seats in the coming panchayat polls in West Bengal, senior party leader Prakash Javadekar said on Saturday. "We will put up candidates in all the seats in the panchayat polls in West Bengal. We will also do well in the polls," Javadekar, the BJP official Spokesperson told reporters in Siliguri. We will do well in the panchayat polls as...
01:24 AM, Jun 02, 2013
Midnapore: At least eleven Congress party supporters were injured during clashes with rival political parties during filing of nomination for the ensuing Panchito poll in West Bengal's West Midnapore district on Saturday. The scattered incidents happened in Chandrakona, Madpur and Belda areas, district superintendent of police Sunil Choudhury said. Seven persons have been arrested while 20 others have been detained as a preventive measure. The injured have been admitted to...
10:37 PM, Jun 01, 2013
Kolkata: The West Bengal State Election Commission on Monday issued notification for the first of the three-phase polls in the three-tier panchayat body, signalling an end to weeks-long discord with the Mamata Banerjee government over holding of the election. The first phase election in nine districts will be held on July 2. The date for filing of nomination will start on May 29 and end on June 5. The last...
08:59 PM, May 27, 2013
Kolkata: The West Bengal State Election Commission would issue notification for the three-tier panchayat election in the state on Monday, State Election Commissioner Mira Pandey on Sunday said. The notification will set in motion the poll process from May 29. Once SEC issues the notification, district magistrates will follow suit in their regions on the basis of the schedule for the poll to be held on July 2, 6 and...
11:14 PM, May 26, 2013
Kolkata: To ensure added importance to tribals in the state, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday announced a separate department of tribal affairs, which would be under her. "Tribal people have many grievances, but they don't know where to lodge complaints to draw attention immediately. Therefore, a separate tribal affairs department will be created just like the minority affairs department and it will remain under me," Banerjee told...
02:49 AM, May 22, 2013
Kolkata: After two years of rule, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee appears to have squandered the overwhelming mandate voters gave her, but as West Bengal gears up for panchayat polls, it seems that the TMC has the advantage as the Left is yet to regroup. Rattled by the Saradha meltdown and a spate of suicides, Trinamool faces the uphill task of addressing cries of lakhs of anguished investors and agents. With...
07:59 AM, May 20, 2013
Chandigarh: Amid sporadic violence, nearly 70 per cent of 1.1 crore rural voters on Sunday exercised their franchise for Panchayat Samiti and Zila Parishad elections in Punjab. An estimated 70 per cent polling was reported as per initial reports, State Election Commissioner SS Brar said. The elections were by and large peaceful and no major incident of violence was reported from any part of the state, he said. However, skirmishes...
08:50 PM, May 19, 2013
Chandigarh: Amid tight security, the stage is set for Sunday's elections to Panchayat Samitis and Zila Parishads in Punjab, the campaigning for which was marred by violence in which four persons were killed. Security force personnel had been deployed in strength to ensure smooth, free and fair elections, said state Election Commissioner SS Brar. As many as 760 candidates were in fray for elections to 331 zones of 22 Zila...
07:40 PM, May 18, 2013
Sources said that one of the two players is an Indian while the other is an international player. ...
10:38 PM, May 17, 2013
Chandigarh: A day after one person was killed immediately after an election rally in Bhatinda district, two more were gunned down on Friday in a village in Amritsar in an exchange of fire between two groups, pushing the toll in the run up to the May 19 panchayat polls in Punjab to four. Tension was brewing between two groups in Chak Mishri Khan village over a consensus to elect the...
05:43 PM, May 17, 2013
Kolkata: The West Bengal Election Commission on Friday announced dates for the Panchayat elections in the state. The elections will be held in three phases on July 2, 6 and 10. The results will be announced three days later. The state government's demand for a two-phase polling was earlier shot down by the Calcutta High Court. The state election commission though said that the court order was not clear on...
04:55 PM, May 17, 2013
Bathinda: Over a dozen armed men opened indiscriminate fire at a Congress-PPP election rally, killing one person and injuring at least three others in Rampura Phull area of the district. Around 15-16 armed men opened fire at the rally in Adampur village here organised ahead of May 19 panchayat polls. Congress activist Jasvir Singh was killed in the attack while Lakhbir Singh alias Lakha Sidhana, a prominent PPP leader and...
09:59 PM, May 16, 2013
Kolkata: A day after the Calcutta High Court directed the West Bengal government and the State Election Commission to mutually decide on dates for the panchayat election, a move has been initiated by both to hold a meeting on Thursday. The meeting will take place amidst a deadline set by the High Court to complete the poll process by July 15. SEC secretary Tapas Roy told reporters that the meeting...
05:56 PM, May 15, 2013
Kolkata: The West Bengal government on Tuesday hailed the Calcutta High Court order on panchayat elections as "historic." "This is a historic order of the hon'ble High Court and we are very happy," state panchayat minister Subrata Mukherjee said. A division bench of the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday rejected the State Election Commission (SEC) order for 800 companies of central forces to man the panchayat polls, and directed that...
03:46 PM, May 14, 2013
