With the civic poll win under its belt, Trinamul Congress on Thursday threw hints of cashing in on its good run by seeking early Assembly elections in West Bengal but the Election Commission said the decision will be taken only by the state.
“I am not in favour of imposition of President’s Rule or dismissal of the state government. I will prefer an early election. I will request the EC to consider holding Assembly election along with Bihar and some other states due in October,” Ms Banerjee told reporters in Kolkata.
The railway minister said elections in the state could be held six months before the scheduled date and any such decision lay within the jurisdiction of the EC.
But the EC said a decision on advancing elections in West Bengal would be taken by the state. “Whether the elections there (in West Bengal) are preponed or held on time would be an academic discussion for us. Preponement of elections is not done by the EC but decided upon by the state governments,” Chief Election Commissioner Navin Chawla told reporters in Guwahati.
Ms Banerjee claimed she would not have called for advancing the poll if there had been a “functioning government”. “No file is moving in the Writers Buildings. If there is a terrorist attack, what will happen? So many Maoist movements are going on. The government must be strong. I am saying this from the security point of view,” she said.
Asked about CPI(M)’s statement that Assembly election would be held as scheduled, she said, “They (CPI-M) have no morality and no accountability. They continue to cling on to power by force. They are in power for 34 years in this way.” —PTI
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Buddhadeb to skip politburo
SUBRATA CHATTOPADHYAY
Kolkata
June 3: Embarrassed by the rout in the civic body polls, CPI(M) chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee will skip the politburo meet scheduled to be held on June 5 and 6 in Delhi. Sources at the chief minister’s office (CMO) confirmed that chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has no schedule to visit New Delhi this weekend. “The chief minister will attend an environment-related programme at Kolkata on June 5,” sources said.
The recent electoral debacle will figure prominently in the two-day apex body meet of the party. A party state secretariat member said that Mr Bhattacharjee has anticipated that the policies of the state government may be held responsible for the electoral defeat.