CPI(M) today demanded early panchayat elections in West Bengal after the Calcutta High Court upheld the primacy of the State Election Commission (SEC) over the state government on the issue.
"Now that the High Court has upheld the SEC's stand that the panchayat elections should be held in three phases with central armed police force, the polls should be held soon," party Politburo member Biman Basu told reporters here.
The panchayat elections have to be held by June when the tenure of the rural bodies end.
Basu, who is here to attend the party's Central Committee meeting from tomorrow, said if the polls are not held soon, then these crucial grass-root level rural bodies would be deprived of about Rs 8,000 crore worth of central funds. The Centre releases these funds only to elected panchayats.
"Even after two years of being in power, they (Trinamool Congress) has not learnt how to govern," he said.
In a setback to the Mamata Banerjee government, the Calcutta High Court upheld the primacy of the SEC and directed that the rural polls be held in three phases as sought by the Commission.
It also rejected the state government's notification for holding the elections in two phases. The state government has decided to appeal against the order.
Basu said, "We have been saying from the beginning that SEC is responsible for holding elections - whether on a single day or in phases. The state government can only suggest when the polls should be held.
