State election commission seeks Rs 350 crore expenditure, not forces, for WB Panchayat Elections: Calcutta HC

According to the Calcutta High Court order, the State Election Commission has sought an expenditure of Rs 350 crore from the Center instead of the deployment of the Central Election Security Force to Panchayats in West Bengal.

Commission sources said a letter has been sent to the Union Home Ministry detailing the expenditure of Rs 350 crore on their stay, food, vehicle expenses, and other arrangements during the election-time deployment of the Central Forces. However, questions arise in connection with this letter from the State Election Commission.

Because according to the high court order, the deployment of central forces is yet to remain in the state till July 21. Despite this, why was the money requested after the expense account was sent?

The Calcutta High Court has made it clear that a central force will be deployed for the security of panchayat elections in West Bengal, the cost of which will be borne by the central government. Therefore, the State Election Commission has sent this letter to the center. About 70,000 jawans have been deployed in the state, for which it is claimed that these expenses will be incurred.

It is worth noting that before this, for the assembly and Lok Sabha elections, central forces were deployed in the state by the Election Commission. It was the rule that the cost of deployment of central forces in the state at the time of elections was borne by the state government.

A few months ago, the central government had written a letter to the state in this regard, claiming that the center owed the West Bengal government Rs 1,852 crore. These expenses are related to the deployment of central forces at the time of elections in Bengal. In response, the West Bengal government said the decision to deploy central forces rests with the Election Commission. The State Government will not bear these costs.