The announcement by the Election Commission (EC) that Bengal polls will be held in eight phases has though been welcomed by the Congress and the BJP, the CPI-M felt that it is no guarantee for peaceful poll process unless proper security measures are implemented at the polling booths.

With EC’s announcement that Bengal polls will be held in eight phases, starting 27 March, the CPI-M politburo member Md Salim said, “Holding polls in eight phases will not guarantee a peaceful and proper elections. The eight phase poll announcement is, however, a slap on the face of the state government, police, law and order situation. The decision was taken keeping in mind the poll violence Bengal has seen in the past elections, notably the 2018 Panchayat elections.”

Salim added there must be proper arrangements by ECI at the booths and alleged, in many of the booths, armed goons enter with police help while central forces are found don’t take action. Further, he added, EC also needs to ensure the EVMs are tallied with the VVPATs since in the last election it did not happen in several seats. He said, “ECI has to guarantee that each vote matters and restore people’s faith in democracy”.

Salim rued over insufficient time for filing nominations and campaigning. “The CPI-M, however, has its brigade on 28 February and that is when we will declare our election agenda,” he said.

Commenting on EC’s decision that there should not be any candidate with criminal antecedents, he said, “Presently, the affairs of the state has shown us how well state government, police and criminals have formed a nexus. Trinamul MPs and MLAs now indulge in loot while police is made to stand guard.”

Meanwhile, state Congress leadership today welcomed EC’s announcement. “The commission has kept in mind the people’s aspiration to vote freely,” former PCC chief and Rajya Sabha member, Pradip Bhattacharya said. EC ensured paramilitary at every booth, he said. The central forces would be able to patrol the areas and assure voters, he added.

BJP’s state vice-president and spokesperson Shamik Bhattacharya said EC took the right decision to maintain law and order so people could vote without fear. He said, “Chief minister Mamata Banerjee stifled people’s voting rights and unleashed violence to disrupt the poll process in previous elections.”

BJP’s national secretary and Kailash Vijayvargiya said EC should arrange route marches in sensitive and border areas of Bengal.