The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday refused to cancel the bypoll of Bhawanipore, scheduled for 30 September. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is contesting from this seat after suffering a defeat in this year’s assembly polls from Nandigram.
file photoHowever, the Calcutta High Court Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal and Justice Rajarshi Bharadwaj, made scathing remarks against West Bengal Chief Secretary for writing to the Election Commission of India requesting to expedite the bypolls citing constitutional crisis.
The high court would hear another aspect of the case on 9 November to examine if taxpayers should pay the costs of the bypoll, which was necessitated by the resignation of an elected MLA to allow Banerjee to contest from Bhawanipore.
Two other constituencies in Bengal namely Samserganj and Jangipur, both in Murshidabad district, would also go for the by-polls.
Banerjee had left her safe seat of Bhawanipore to contest from Nandigram against her former aide Suvendu Adhikari. Banerjee has challenged the outcome of the Nandigram saying that she was first declared a winner before the polling officials changed the outcome.
BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari had moved the Supreme Court seeking transfer of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s petition after the Calcutta High Court ordered to preserve EVMs used in Nandigram assembly seat in this year’s polls.