The Kolkata civic polls and Howrah civic polls are unlikely to take place in November after the West Bengal State Election Commission failed to receive a confirmed election schedule from the state government, according to a commission source cited by Anandabazar. The commission is now preparing for the possibility of elections in December, although no date has been announced.
The commission had earlier prepared for an election timetable to be announced by the end of October, with voting in November and counting in early December. It held meetings with the state chief secretary, home secretary and director general of police, but the schedule had not been finalised by the last week of October.
A commission official said on Wednesday that, under the law, the initial decision on the timetable for these municipal elections is taken by the state government. The commission’s consent is required before the dates are finalised. “If such a proposal comes to us regarding the elections, we will give our consent. Preparations have been completed,” the official said, according to the report.
The commission did not explain why the timetable had not been released and said it could not comment on the state government’s position. The lack of a schedule leaves the civic bodies’ election process dependent on coordination between the state government and the election authority.
The voter list is also part of the dispute. The elections were expected to be conducted using the electoral roll published by the Election Commission of India on July 1. The State Election Commission has since said that another updated roll would reach it on November 12. If the elections are held in December, the commission has indicated that it will use that list.
Opposition representatives and members of civil society submitted a memorandum to the State Election Commission on Wednesday seeking a postponement of the elections. Congress leader Prosenjit Bose claimed that between 60,000 and 70,000 voter names had been deleted from the rolls in Kolkata and Howrah during the special revision process. He called for arrangements to restore eligible voters’ names before the elections.
The Left parties also raised concerns about voters whose names had been removed. CPM leader Kallol Majumdar said the issue should not be treated as a matter of advantage for any particular party and argued that voters affected by deletions should not remain excluded for extended periods. The commission has not announced a final election schedule or confirmed whether the elections will be held in December. The next stated administrative milestone is the delivery of the updated electoral roll on November 12.
