After the Calcutta High Court dismissed its petition, the West Bengal BJP has approached the Supreme Court seeking the deployment of the central forces during the Kolkata Municipal Corporation elections.
According to advocate Aditya Sharma, who is representing West Bengal BJP, the matter will be mentioned before the vacation Registrar for an urgent hearing today.
In its plea before the apex court, the state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party has submitted that its candidates have been receiving threats and are being pressurised to withdraw their candidature.
These threats and violence “cast grave infractions on the constitutional mandate of conducting the free, fair, and democratic election,” said the plea.
This comes after the Calcutta High Court had on Thursday dismissed BJP’s plea seeking the deployment of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) during the civic polls.
The High Court had said that the Kolkata municipal elections, slated to be held on December 19, will be conducted under the responsibility of the State Police.
“We cannot take decisions with respect to the requirement of Central force. High Court will be in a better position to know the situation”, the bench comprising Justices L Nagesara Rao and BR Gavai of the Supreme Court had told Senior Advocate Maninder Singh, who was appearing for the BJP.
The BJP had moved to the Calcutta HC after the apex court had refused a similar plea by the saffron party. The top court had then asked the saffron party to approach the Calcutta HC for such a relief.
