)
The West Bengal government today issued notification for holding the 144-ward Kolkata Municipal Corporation election on April 18, even as the opposition parties wanted deferment of the crucial election on the ground that examinations are to be held around that time due to which restriction in use of loudspeakers would be enforced.
State election commissioner Susanta Ranjan Upadhyay told PTI, "The state government has issued notification today for holding election to the KMC on April 18. The Commission will issue its notification today."
Asked if election to over 90 other municipalities would be held on April 25 as wanted by the government, Upadhyay said, "The state government is yet to issue notification in this regard as yet."
The state's BJP unit recently demanded that the KMC polls be deferred as political parties would not get enough time to use loudspeakers to campaign for the elections. "We will request the State Election Commissioner to defer the KMC polls as the parties would not get enough time to campaign by using loudspeakers as examinations will continue till March 31," senior state BJP leader Tathagatha Roy said.
With Assembly elections due in May next year, the civic polls are seen as a litmus test for the ruling TMC and the opposition parties.
The Opposition parties in West Bengal have demanded deployment of central forces for the elections, as the CPI(M) called for deferment of the proposed poll dates. "All political parties, other than the Trinamool Congress and NCP, demanded that central forces be deployed for the municipal elections," Upadhyay had said after an all-party meeting yesterday. "We have, however, already written to the Election Commission that central forces be deployed in certain areas to ensure free and fair polls," he said yesterday.
TMC was the first off the block to announce the candidates' list on March 8 for the KMC polls, declaring that incumbent Mayor Sovan Chatterjee would be the party's nominee for the post again.
Of the 144 wards, the Trinamool has made public its candidates for 143 wards. The Left Front yesterday announced its first list of candidates for the KMC election featuring 125 wards.
The Congress had last Saturday released a list of 117 candidates for the KMC polls, while the BJP was yet to come up with its list of candidates for the KMC election.
