‘Election Commission’s circular is not wrong…’, Supreme Court rejects TMC’s petition, approves deployment of central employees in vote counting

The Supreme Court has shocked the Trinamool Congress (TMC) by giving a big decision on the controversy over vote counting in West Bengal. The court rejected the petition filed regarding the posting of central government employees. The court clearly said that there is nothing illegal in the decision of the Election Commission and there is no need to interfere further in this matter. After this decision, the ongoing political debate regarding the vote counting process has taken a big turn.

During the hearing, the Supreme Court supported the decision of the Election Commission and made it clear that the Commission has the right to select the counting staff. The court said that when the selection is being done from a single source, it cannot be considered wrong. The bench also said that no irregularity has been found in the circular dated April 13 issued by the Commission. Therefore, there is no solid basis for intervening in this matter. The court also recorded the assurance given by the Commission that the guidelines would be fully followed.

What assurance did the Election Commission give?

During the hearing, the Election Commission assured the court that the entire process will be transparent and as per the rules. The Commission stated that:

• The instructions of April 13 will be followed completely.
• State government officials will have total control.
• The fear of any kind of bias is baseless.

The Commission also made it clear that balance will be maintained in the vote counting process and there is no intention to benefit any one party.

TMC raised questions on impartiality

TMC had raised many serious questions in its petition. The party said that it is not right to make the presence of at least one central government official mandatory at every counting centre. His argument was that this would increase the number of employees associated with the centre, which could affect the fairness of the vote counting process. Especially when there is a BJP government at the Center and it is the main political rival of TMC in the state. TMC also said that such a rule would change the structure of employees and could impact the electoral process.

Journey from High Court to Supreme Court

TMC had not earlier got relief from Calcutta High Court in this matter. After this the party immediately approached the Supreme Court. TMC demanded an early hearing from the court and said that counting of votes is going to start soon, hence an immediate decision on this issue is necessary. The party also raised the question as to why the Election Commission implemented this rule without giving any clear reason.

What was the dispute regarding the rules?

TMC said that under the existing rules, micro observers are already deployed at every table, who are usually from central services. In such a situation, it is not necessary to involve additional central employees. According to the party, this adds an extra layer, which is not only unnecessary but can also potentially create problems.

This whole matter has further heated up the politics of the state. While TMC raised questions about fairness, the Election Commission and the court rejected these concerns. Now after the decision of the Supreme Court, it has become clear that the counting process will proceed as per the prescribed rules. However, political rhetoric on this issue may still continue.