The Calcutta High Court on Friday asked the State Election Commission to offer a fresh window to file nominations for the West Bengal panchayat elections.

The 35-page order directed the commission to reschedule the dates for the election process and conduct the polls accordingly.

Initially, the elections were scheduled for May 1, May 3 and May 5, and counting was to be held on May 8. On Friday, Justice Subrata Talukdar directed the SEC to issue a fresh notification extending dates for filing nominations.

The Bengal SEC had come under fire after it rescinded its own April 10 order extending the deadline for filing nominations. The judge stayed the order of withdrawal and stalled the election process.

Blow to Trinamool

The decision comes as a major blow to the West Bengal government and the Trinamool Congress.

The ruling party, the State government and the SEC had earlier challenged the single bench’s stay on the poll process. They had claimed that the court could not interfere once the poll schedule is announced.

Reacting to the verdict, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said she was in favour of rural polls being conducted at the earliest and in a peaceful manner.“We did not go to court and delay the election process. We were in favour of polls. Days have been lost. It is for the State poll panel to announce new dates at the earliest,” she said.

Terming the verdict historic, BJP counsel Pratap Banerjee said it was a victory for the common.

State Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury claimed the State poll panel’s failure has been exposed. “It is a moral defeat of the Trinamool. The State poll panel is one of the constitutional bodies. Its failure has been exposed following the verdict,” he said.

However, till reports last came in, the poll panel was yet to announce new dates for the elections.

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