Trinamool files petition at Calcutta HC apprehending arrest of 800 party workers before Bengal polls

Kolkata, April 20 The Trinamool Congress on Monday filed a petition at a Division Bench of the Calcutta High Court apprehending arrests of around 800 party workers following instructions of the Election Commission of India (ECI) before the forthcoming two-phase Assembly polls in West Bengal later this month.

The petition had been filed by the four-time Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha member and senior advocate, Kalyan Banerjee, who had sought immediate intervention by the Calcutta High Court in the matter.

The Division Bench of the Calcutta High Court’s Chief Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Partha Sarathi Sen had admitted the plea, and the probable date of the first hearing in the matter is April 22, that is, the day before the first phase of the two-phase Assembly polls on April 23.

Trinamool Congress had apprehended that around 800 party workers who are under the constant scanner of the ECI might be arrested before the polls, following instructions of the EC.

Incidentally, in each of her campaign rallies in the last few days, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, had expressed this same apprehension over her party workers, especially polling and counting agents, getting arrested before the election.

The Chief Minister also instructed her party leadership to keep backups ready in case of such arrests. Now, her apprehensions and allegations get an official shape with the Trinamool Congress approaching the Calcutta High Court in the matter.

The two-phase Assembly elections will be held on April 24 and April 29. In the first phase, there will be polling for 152 constituencies, and in the second phase, for the remaining 142 constituencies. The counting of votes will be done, and the results will be declared on May 4.

The Assembly elections this time are being conducted under an unprecedented security cover, with 2,407 companies of the central forces, which include personnel from the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF), India Reserve Battalion (IRB), and personnel from armed police wings from other states, being deployed in the first phase itself. This will be in addition to personnel from the West Bengal Police and Kolkata Police.

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