Party says EC choices ‘partisan, biased’: TMC calls for police be allowed close to polling cubicles, tally of all VVPATs

A delegation of senior TMC leaders met with officers of the Election Commission (EC) on Friday, objecting to current choices taken by the physique and calling their method “partisan and biased”.
The TMC and the EC have had a frosty relationship of late, with the ruling social gathering in West Bengal having questioned the fee’s choices and accusing it of appearing in favour of the BJP.
The TMC continued to query the EC in a letter submitted Friday.

“It is becoming increasingly clear that free, fair and transparent elections in the state of West Bengal is becoming a distant reality. This is evident from the partisan and biased approach taken by the EC in respect of the ongoing elections in the state,” mentioned the letter, which was signed by TMC MPs Derek O’Brien, Saugata Roy and Mahua Moitra in addition to former BJP chief and Union minister Yashwant Sinha, who lately joined the social gathering.
The social gathering took umbrage over media experiences of an EC resolution that state police personnel wouldn’t be allowed inside 100 metres of polling stations.
“It has been reported in the media that the EC has decided to not permit the presence of state police within 100 metres of polling stations and only deploy Central Forces in such an arena. If true, this decision is unprecedented and casts severe aspersions on the reputation of the police administration in the state of West Bengal,” the letter states.
Sources within the EC instructed The Indian Express that it has not prohibited the state police’s presence however fairly, the instruction is supposed for the civic police, who’re civic volunteers who’re deployed in support of the state police. They would not have authorized police powers however support in upkeep of order and site visitors management often.
The second subject raised by the TMC was a requirement of the tally of all VVPAT machines, which they claimed have been “summarily dismissed… allegedly on account of the Supreme Court of India decision in March 2019”.

“It may be noted that the very purpose of installing VVPAT machines are considerable cost has deliberately been made redundant and ineffective. We may remind you, that not only was the said judgement primarily meant for the 2019 general elections but that the law insists that every time EVMs are used, there must be a sui generis consideration of facts, circumstances and necessities,” the letter states.