West Bengal elections: Both central, state officers at counting centres, Election Commission tells Supreme Court

NEW DELHI: Refuting the allegation of Trinamool Congress that only central govt employees would be deployed as counting supervisors and assistants, Election Commission on Saturday told Supreme Court that one from central govt and other from state govt would be given the charge of two posts to maintain balance, convincing the court that there was no need for judicial interference in the counting process scheduled for May 4.

In a special hearing as counting is after just two days, a bench of Justices P S Narasimha and Joymalya Bagchi dismissed TMC’s petition, which alleged that allowing only central govt employees at the counting tables would undermines the neutrality of the counting process. The bench said EC can choose the counting personnel as per its April 13 circular.

Senior advocate Dama Seshadri Naidu, appearing for EC, said that the party's apprehension is misplaced and baseless. He said that if a central govt employee is appointed as counting supervisor then counting assistant would be a state govt employee or vice-versa, a pattern followed in other elections also.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for TMC, told SC it was agreeable if employees of both the Centre and state are involved and it should be followed in true spirit.

Supreme Court: No extraorder needed, Election Commission to follow circular

The court, thereafter, passed a brief order and brought the controversy to an end. “No further orders are necessary in this case except to record the statement of Mr Dama Seshadri Naidu that the Election Commission will implement the circular dated 13th April, 2026 in true letter and spirit. With these clarifications, the special leave petition stands dismissed,” the order said.

TMC had moved SC challenging the additional chief electoral officer’s decision mandating “at least one among the counting supervisor and counting assistant at each counting table shall be a central govt/central PSU employee” for the counting of votes.

The petition, filed through advocate Sanchit Garga, alleged that the decision was “arbitrary, without jurisdiction, discriminatory, and creating a reasonable apprehension of bias, given that its principal political opponent, the BJP, is the ruling party (sic) at the Centre and thus exercises administrative control over central govt/PSU employees.”