Demanding that the municipal polls in 17 civic bodies of the State is held as per schedule, both the Left Front and the Bharatiya Janata Party appealed to the State government on Wednesday to hold talks with the State Election Commission in this regard.
The State unit of the BJP has also alleged that the ruling party was not confident of a good show in the municipalities and wanted to push the polls to November.
State BJP president Rahul Sinha said that a delegation of BJP leaders will meet Governor M.K. Narayanan demanding that polls are held as per schedule.
“Delaying the polls in these civic bodies will not help the Trinamool Congress. When the BJP government led by Narendra Modi starts functioning at the Centre the popularity of the BJP in the State will increase,” Mr Sinha said at a press conference.
He said that the Trinamool Congress has not fared well in the civic bodies in the Lok Sabha polls.
Elections to 15 municipalities in the State which includes Dum Dum and Rajarhat on the fringes of the city along with Asansol Municipal Corporation were held on 28 June 2009 and the elections there should be held within five years as per the State’s Municipal Act a statement issued by the Left Front Chairman Biman Bose said.
The statement also added that elections to the Silliguri Municipal Corporation must be held by September 2014 as per the provisions of law.
The State BJP said that the West Bengal Election Commission has written to the State government to hold elections as per schedule but the State government has refused to reply to the letters.
Mr. Sinha demanded that that the Election Commission should call for an all party meeting on the issue.
