ISF faces setback as 82 candidates barred from WB Panchayat elections

The ISF has suffered a major setback as 82 of its candidates in the West Bengal Panchayat elections have been disqualified by the Calcutta High Court
The court overturned a previous order by Justice Amrita Singh, disallowing the candidates from participating, this decision has dealt a blow to ISF leader Naushad Siddiqui.
A division bench stayed the order, and the matter will be heard again after 15 days, additionally, 19 candidates from the CPM faced similar issues but were allowed to contest

In a blow to the Indian Secular Front (ISF) ahead of the West Bengal Panchayat elections, 82 ISF candidates from Bhangar constituency have been disqualified from contesting the upcoming polls.

The Calcutta High Court issued this ruling on Tuesday, overturning a previous order by a single bench of Justice Amrita Singh that had allowed the candidates to participate. The division bench's decision has dealt a significant setback to ISF leader Naushad Siddiqui.

These 82 ISF candidates had filed a case in the High Court on Monday, seeking permission to contest the panchayat elections after their names were unexpectedly removed from the State Election Commission's website despite having submitted their nominations.

Initially, Justice Singh had directed the commission to investigate the complaint within 48 hours and had emphasized that if the allegations made by the ISF candidates were substantiated, they should be given an opportunity to participate in the elections. However, the candidates approached the division bench after the commission failed to take action as per the single bench's order.

On Tuesday, a division bench consisting of Justice Debanshu Basak and Justice Rai Chattopadhyay stayed the single bench's order issued by Justice Singh. Consequently, these 82 ISF candidates will not be able to participate in the ongoing Panchayat elections in the immediate term. The matter is scheduled for another hearing after 15 days. The current panchayat elections in Bengal are slated for July 8.

In a similar incident, 19 candidates from the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM) in Bhangarh had also alleged that their names were removed from the Commission's website after they submitted their nominations. Justice Sinha had granted relief to these 19 CPM candidates, allowing them to contest the elections. However, when the commission challenged this order before a division bench, Justice Singh's ruling was set aside.

Furthermore, Bhangar MLA and ISF leader Naushad Siddiqui's case was dismissed by the High Court on Monday, further compounding the setback for the ISF ahead of the Panchayat elections.

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Calcutta High Court