The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday refused to stay the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) election due on December 19. The Bharatiya Janata Party had approached the court seeking simultaneous polls to all 112 municipalities.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Prakash Shrivastava and Justice R. Bharadwaj set aside the petition but directed the State Election Commission and the State Government to take measures for holding elections to the remaining 111 municipal bodies at the earliest in minimum possible phases.
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The SEC and the State Government had earlier informed the Court that they will be held in six to eight phases by May. Election to 144 wards of the city’s civic body will be held without deployment of Central forces and the High Court in an earlier order had directed CCTV coverage in all polling booths.
With only four days left for the civic polls, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee campaigned for her party’s candidates. Addressing a meeting at Phoolbagan, Ms. Banerjee said the BJP will be defeated in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Referring to her party’s win over the BJP in the Assembly polls earlier this year, Ms. Banerjee said, “We will defeat the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. It will meet the same fate now.”
The Chief Minister emphasised that her focus would be to “bring industry and generate jobs”. While she assured the electorate that her party will improve the infrastructure and civic facilities of the city, she asked her party’s candidates to address people’s civic grievances at the earliest.
