Kolkata, 26th June 2023: West Bengal state election commissioner (SEC) Rajiva Sinha met with Governor C V Ananda Bose on Sunday to discuss preparations for the July 8 panchayat polls, which have claimed eight lives in the state.
The two-hour meeting at Raj Bhavan also came amid speculation in administrative circles that a delay in the arrival of central paramilitary forces to oversee the election process, as mandated by the Calcutta High Court and upheld by the Supreme Court, could force the SEC to reschedule the single-phase election and hold it in multiple phases.
According to SEC officials who are aware of the developments, the state government solicited 822 companies of paramilitary forces earlier this week, but only 364 companies arrived by Sunday. According to officials, the Centre was unable to provide an update to the state on the situation of the remaining 458 companies of soldiers.
The governor’s remark was interpreted as a veiled allusion to Sinha’s refusal to meet with him last week, citing his “busy” schedule.
Before or after the meeting, Sinha did not talk to the media and according to Raj Bhavan officials, the governor requested a report from Sinha on how the SEC intends to deploy the central forces.
This comes as since the election date was set on June 8, eight individuals have died due to political violence.
