Kolkata, Sep 7 (PTI) Left Front on Tuesday questioned the decision of the Election Commission to hold by-poll in only one assembly seat West Bengal on September 30 and demanded it be conducted in four other constituencies in the state at the earliest.

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After a meeting of Front constituents at the CPI-M office, the LF also gave call to make successful the general nationwide strike on September 27 by Sanjukta Kishan Morcha to protest against the three farm bills and attacks on farmers. The LF is supporting the strike.

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About the September 30 by-election in Bhabanipur where Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the candidate of the ruling Trinamool Congress, the statement said "The EC could not prove its prudence and sagacity by its decision to hold bypoll in only one of the five seats where such exercise was due, apparently to benefit one political personality.

"How could the chief secretary surmise in his submission to the poll panel that by not electing one personality could lead to constitutional crisis when the ruling party has its own majority to run government?" the Front asked.

With 213 seats in its kitty the TMC could have chosen its leader from among the elected MLAs. It is their failure to be unable to elect their leader who will helm the state from among the elected legislators, it said.

"By the way one veteran political leader was forced to quit Bhabanipur seat just after an emphatic win and now faces the uncertainty about being elected to the assembly within six months' period. The West Bengal chief secretary didn't refer that he too faces the uncertainity of losing ministership if not elected in six months," the Front added.

Banerjee had contested and lost from Nandigram and TMC old timer and state cabinet minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay contested and won from Bhabanipur, from where the party supremo had won twice since 2011. He has vacated the seat to facilitate Banerjee to contest from it.

The resolution said the electorate of four other assembly constituencies - Deganga, Khardah, Santipur, Dinhata - will be deprived of exercising their democratic right for the time being and demanded that by-election to them be held at the earliest.

The LF also demanded immediate holding of polls in six municipal corporations, 112 municipalties and Siliguri Mahakuma Parishad (Siliguri subdivisional council) which are overdue for two years following the pandemic. Administrators have been appointed to run them.

The EC has announced polling on September 30 in Jangipur and Samserganj assembly seats in Murshidabad where polling was countermanded.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)