Two CPI candidates in KMC election file petition in Kolkata HC, allege police, SEC failure

The two CPI candidates alleged that the city police remained inactive at places where the goons unleashed massive violence. Although the contesting candidates raised questions about the safety of the voters, no action was taken by the police and the SEC.

Kolkata: Two Communist Party of India (CPI) candidates on Wednesday filed petitions in the Calcutta High Court alleging police and state election commission (SEC)’s failure in ensuring peaceful polls for the formation of a new board of KMC on December 18, 2021.

The candidates in question are Mousumi Ghosh and Biman Guhathakurta, who contested from ward numbers 36 and 126 respectively.

They also alleged that KMC polls were conducted without revision of the electoral list. According to them, people who have already shifted from Kolkata to elsewhere still have their names on the list.

The duo alleged that even the names of dead persons are on the list, adding that there was false voting in their names.

The two CPI candidates alleged that the city police remained inactive at places where the goons unleashed massive violence. Although the contesting candidates raised questions about the safety of the voters, no action was taken by the police and the SEC.

Rajneel Mukhopadhyay, the counsel for the litigants, told media persons that everyone has witnessed what has happened on the polling and the counting days. “The SEC has completely failed in ensuring peaceful polls. The state and city police remained inactive. So litigation has been filed and the hearing is expected in the first week of January next year,” he said.

To recall, there are allegations of attack on the Congress candidate from Ward Number 16, Robi Saha by Trinamool Congress activists. His counsel has moved Calcutta High Court seeking remedies. However, since the chief justice did not hear the case on a fast-track basis, the counsel sought the attention of Justice Rajsekhar Mantha in this regard. Justice Mantha said that he would hear it on Thursday.

At the same time, two Public Interest Litigations (PILs) are currently pending relating to KMC polls on the bench of the chief justice. The CPI(M) candidate from ward number 75, Faiz Ahmed Khan, has filed a petition in the Calcutta High Court on this issue.