Bengal polls: SC closes TMC plea after EC says state nominees will be present during vote counting

The Supreme Court on Saturday declined to pass an order in a petition moved by the Trinamool Congress against the Election Commission’s decision to deploy Union government employees as counting supervisors during the West Bengal Assembly election results, reported Live Law.

This came after the poll panel told a bench of Justices PS Narasimha and Joymalya Bagchi that it would comply with a circular dated April 13 on the appointment of a state government nominee for the counting of votes, according to Bar and Bench.

Recording the submission, the bench said that “no further orders are necessary”. It added that the circular should be complied with “in letter and spirit”.

Polling was held in the state in two phases on April 23 and April 29. Repolling was being held on Saturday at 15 polling stations in South 24 Parganas district that voted in the second phase of the elections.

The votes will be counted on Monday.

On Wednesday, the state chief electoral officer directed that at least one person at every counting station must be a Union government employee. The state’s ruling Trinamool Congress had moved the court against the order.

The Calcutta High Court on Thursday rejected the TMC’s petition, which argued that Union government employees are likely to be susceptible to the suggestion and control of the Bharatiya Janata Party, the ruling...

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