[Kolkata Municipal Elections] BJP moves Supreme Court against Calcutta High Court order declining central paramilitary force

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), through its West Bengal president Dilip Ghosh, has approached the Supreme Court against an order of the Calcutta High Court which had declined its plea to deploy central paramilitary forces for the Kolkata Municipal Corporation elections scheduled to be held tomorrow [Bharatiya Janata Party vs. State of West Bengal]..The plea filed through advocate Aditya Sharma said that deployment of central forces is necessary for free and fair elections since BJP candidates and their family members are being threatened by the workers of the ruling All India Trinamool Congress (TMC).The plea said that BJP candidates are being pressured to withdraw their candidature.The petitioner also cited orders by the top court in Tripura municipal elections to buttress its case. In Tripura polls, the TMC had approached the Supreme Court alleging that their candidates were being threatened and attacked by BJP which is in power in the State. The Supreme Court had then passed certain directions in that case.The Calcutta High Court had yesterday dismissed the BJP's appeal against a single-judge order declining the request to deploy central paramilitary forces for polls.A Bench of Chief Justice Prakash Shrivastava and Justice Rajarshi Bhardwaj ruled that the Court did not find "sufficient material" to accept the party's prayer."So far, no instance of violence has been pointed out nor along with the writ petition, any such material has been enclosed which furnishes a ground for deployment of the Central Paramilitary Forces in the forthcoming Kolkata Municipal Corporation Elections." the Bench held. The Court noted that such deployment is to prevent violence and building voter confidence, opining that presence of security personell at the booth should be strengthened. Even so, with regard to posting central paramilitary forces, the Bench directed:"We direct the Election Commission to take an appropriate decision having due regard to the ground situation in consultation with the State authorities for deployment of Central Paramilitary Forces, in case, if the need so arises, to ensure free and fearless elections".The State Election Commission was ordered to build a detailed plan to boost voter confidence and hold a meeting for the same. Earlier, Justice Rajasekhar Mantha on Thursday had dismissed the BJP's plea in the same matter, saying it was satisfied with the assurances of the State's Advocate General and Election Commission. The petitioners in the case are candidates of the upcoming civic polls in Kolkata, and had moved alleging that their complaints to the city Commissioner of Police had gone unheeded. The candidates had placed on record their representations to the Governor as well. They were provided an armed police constable each for safety, the Court was informed. The Supreme Court had on Monday declined to entertain a similar plea, asking the petitioners to move the Calcutta High Court. The High Court had also declined to entertain petition seeking a stay on the election, and asked the State Election commission to duly inform it of the phases and schedule for the polls. It has asked the State Election Commission to install CCTV cameras in polling booths and EVM storage rooms. [Read Calcutta High Court order].Kolkata Municipal Corporation Elections: Opposition BJP members being beaten up, Supreme Court told.No stay on Kolkata Municipal Elections, State Election Commission to disclose time schedule: Calcutta High Court