'Don't shout': Heated exchange between CEC, TMC mantri at meet over Bengal poll schedule

KOLKATA: Frayed tempers between Trinamool and the Election Commission resurfaced after state finance minister Chandrima Bhattacharya said chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar told her "not to shout" during Monday's full bench meeting and appeared peeved that the party had moved the Supreme Court against the poll panel.

Barring TMC — which stuck to its stand that no genuine Bengal voter should be left out — BJP, Congress and CPM sought a shorter poll duration with no more than two phases. BJP had earlier advocated for multi-phase polls.




But the protracted SIR schedule won't allow the EC for a long election window this year. In a press note, EC said: "Political parties urged the commission to conduct the elections in 1 or 2 phases."

After the meeting, Bhattacharya, flanked by Kolkata mayor Firhad Hakim and ex-DGP Rajeev Kumar, said: "I am a woman and he is telling me ‘don't shout'. They actually have no respect for women. That is why women's names are also being deleted."

Bhattacharya added that "whenever we spoke about SIR, they said the matter is in Supreme Court". "If you called us, you must listen to what we have to say. Was it wrong for us to go to the Supreme Court? It is our responsibility to protect the people."

Asked how many phases of polling was TMC looking at, both Hakim and Bhattacharya avoided a direct reply, saying the meeting was not called for that.

BJP's Jagannath Chattopadhyay, Sishir Bajoria and Tapas Ray met the EC. "We demanded free and fair elections without any fear. The CAPF should be properly utilised. A section of Bengal Police officers and the state administration do not want electors to cast their votes freely. The EC should take exemplary action against them," Chattopadhyay said. The BJP team also sought that the assembly elections be conducted in one or, at most, two phases.

A Congress delegation comprising Pradip Bhattacharya, Asutosh Chatterjee and Prasenjit Basu raised concerns over the fate of nearly 60 lakh cases "under adjudication". The party said they would welcome a single-phase poll. CPM's Md Salim, Shamik Lahiri and Afreen Begum raised concerns over roll revision and poll preparedness. The party sought 1- or 2-phase elections and demanded an opportunity for voters whose names were deleted to re-enrol.