West Bengal Panchayat Election 2023: The State Election Commission of West Bengal said on Friday (June 9) that it may consider extending the last date for filing nominations for the Panchayat elections to be held on July 8. State Election Commissioner (SEC) Rajiv Sinha gave this information.
SEC said that legal advice will be taken before doing so. Earlier in the day, the Calcutta High Court, while considering petitions filed by opposition leaders to extend the date, said that the time limit prescribed in the notification for nomination was insufficient. The court directed the commission to file its reply in this regard.
Speaking to news agency PTI, Sinha said, “We are reviewing the situation and may consider extending the date. In fact, by filing a petition in the High Court, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary and leader of the state assembly Suvendu Adhikari had demanded extension of the nomination date and deployment of central forces.
What did the court say?
The Calcutta High Court has asked the State Election Commission to respond by June 12, considering the time limit given for filing nominations for the panchayat elections prima facie insufficient. The court said that the Election Commission can fix a reasonable time limit for filing the nominations of the candidates. Chief Justice T.S. “Prima facie, we are of the view that the time limit prescribed in the notification is not sufficient,” said a bench headed by Sivagnanam.
When are panchayat elections being held?
The three-tier panchayat elections in West Bengal will be held in a single phase on July 8. The last date for filing nominations will be June 15. The three-tier Panchayati Raj system consists of Gram Panchayat, Panchayat Samiti and Zilla Parishad.
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