"Trinamool ka Vinash Samay aa gaya" :::: All roads lead to 4pm ... Press Conference by Election Commission :::: Poll panel to announce Assembly elections dates :::: Will polls be held in West Bengal ??

The poll dates for West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nādu and the Union Territory of Puducherry will be announced on Sunday afternoon.

The legislative assembly terms in these states and one UT are set to expire at different dates in May and June.   

The TMC had framed the electoral revision exercise as a larger ideological confrontation. However, critics argue that the Supreme Court’s intervention on the contrary reflected 'concern' over administrative handling of the process.

In fact, Mamata Banerjee appeared “nervous” during recent legal developments.

BJP's IT cell chief Amit Malviya tweeted: 

"Mamata Banerjee finally said the unsaid: her politics of appeasement was never about protecting minorities; it was a calculated strategy to weaponise insecurity, disrupt national integration, and ultimately threaten the very existence of peaceful Hindus in West Bengal. One second to finish off the community that calls West Bengal its homeland? 

No. It will take only one second to change West Bengal’s fortunes, secure its future, and save the state.

Vote for the BJP." 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a rally in the heart of Kolkata on March 14th and also in Silchar in Assam. On March 13th too he had visited Assam and unleashed a series of developmental projects. 

Newly elected Rajya Sabha MP of BJP Rahul Sinha said:

"The jungle raj will soon end in West Bengal". 

"The announcement for early elections should be made soon, otherwise elections won't be held on time... 

We demand that elections in West Bengal should be held in 1-2 phases this time, but whatever decision the Election Commission takes, we will accept it. West Bengal BJP is fully prepared for the elections."

Speculation about postponement of elections and imposition of President's Rule in West Bengal had increased due to incompletion of SIR exercise, law and order concerns and also the appointment of a new Governor, R.N. Ravi. 

The state has last experienced central rule only in 1977.  

Analysts feel a lot would depend on what the CEC Gyanesh Kumar and his team decide. The poll panel was on a visit to West Bengal and held series of meetings with civil officials and top cops.

Notably, at times the CEC and his colleagues were even greeted with black flags and “go-back” slogans from Trinamool Congress activists.  

Article 356 of the Indian Constitution states that the President can dismiss a state government and assume the functioning of the administration on receiving a report from the state’s governor that satisfies the President that a situation has arisen in which the state government cannot carry on in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution. 

But in this case if polls are not held on time and a new government is not sworn in by May 6-7th; automatically the state would come under President's Rule.

Earlier this month the announcement of resignation of C V Ananda Bose as Bengal Governor and appointment of R N Ravi had detonated like a political bomb on TMC leadership. 

Trinamool Congress supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had tweeted: 

“Union Home Minister just informed me that Shri R N Ravi is being appointed as Governor of West Bengal. He never consulted with me as per the established convention in this regard".  

The Supreme Court on March 10 asked the West Bengal government and the Election Commission to provide all logistical support to judicial officers in the ongoing special intensive revision of electoral rolls in the state. 

A three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices R. Mahadevan and Joymalya Bagchi said the judicial officers, deployed in the SIR process, so far have dealt with 10.16 lakh objections and claims of those facing deletion from the electoral rolls. 

It also said that decisions of the judicial officers cannot be examined in appeals by any administrative officers of the Election Commission.

Of course all these appear to be time taking and hence speculation is rife about possible postponement of polls. 

                                              Governor R N Ravi - file snap :: Tamil Nadu 




On EC likely to announce election schedule for poll-bound states today, BJP MP K Sudhakar says, 

"... Whatever announcement the Election Commission makes for the country, we are ready. The BJP party does not prepare for elections, we serve the country... We are confident that we will win in Assam again, and there is a good possibility of the NDA's victory in Puducherry as well. There is an NDA wave in Tamil Nadu...".  

Telangana BJP President N Ramchander Rao says, "West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been creating doubt and confusion on SIR among the people of Bengal repeatedly... 

The BJP is reiterating that it is a process taken by the Election Commission of India... Since 2004, the special revision has not taken place with regard to the voter list. Earlier, when the Congress government was in power, the SIR took place 3-4 times... 

"SIR exercise is taken up by the Election Commission of India, only for the purpose of cleaning up the voter list and not otherwise. Mamata Banerjee has total confidence that she will lose the elections, so she is trying to blame the BJP government".  

ends