Kolkata: A day after the Calcutta high court’s interim stay on the West Bengal State Election Commission’s withdrawal of its extension of the deadline for filing of nominations by the candidates for the panchayat elections, the Trinamul Congress moved the high court accusing the BJP of keeping the high court in dark about filing the same case at the Supreme Court simultaneously. 

It also appealed to the high court to cancel the interim stay. On Wednesday Trinamul MP Kalyan Banerjee, also a lawyer, filed the case before Justice Subrata Talukdar, the same judge who ordered the interim stay on the state poll panel’s U-turn following a plea by the BJP on Tuesday afternoon. But the BJP’s lawyer Pratap Banerjee was not present however at the high court. So the BJP’s plea into which the interim stay was ordered could not be heard. The judge reportedly questionned the BJP lawyer’s absence. The matter is likely to be heard on Thursday. 

The Trinamul MP alleged, “Same case can not be filed at two courts simultaneously. At the apex court the BJP filed the same case which it filed on Tuesday at the Calcutta high court. The BJP however did not state before the high court about its same plea to the SC. They kept it secret from the high court. That is why the BJP lawyer was not present in fear. I pointed out to the judge on Tuesday itself about the BJP’s plea to the SC. The judge then asked me to file a petition which I did.”

He claimed, “That the BJP kept it secret to the high court about filing the same case at the apex court was proved when the Supreme Court refused to hear the BJP’s plea because same case can not be heard at two courts simultaneously. The BJP again returned from the SC empty handed.” Rejecting his claims state BJP president Dilip Ghosh accused Mr Banerjee of trying to mislead the people by making incorrect comments.

He said, “He tried to mislead people since morning saying that the BJP is in fear. There is no fear. The SC only directed us to raise the matter before the high court since it is hearing it. 

On Tuesday we told the high court whatever we had to say. Our plea was heard before the ruling. So there is nothing secret. We appealed for a free and fair elections and scope to those who could not file nominations and the candidates’ security. The high court disapproved the WBSEC’s withdrawal of its own order.”

2 die in TMC factional fight

 Two persons were killed in a suspected factional fight in the TMC during a victory procession in North 24 Parganas on Wednesday, the police said. The rally was organised by the party after it won the Falti Gram Panchayat in the Sasan area of the district uncontested. Local party leader Saifar Rahman (52) was attacked with a knife when he was walking in the rally. He was taken to a hospital in Barasat where he was declared dead on arrival. Police sources said local people beat 40-year-old Rajab Ali, a TMC worker, to death alleging that he killed Rahman.

Meanwhile, in continuing violence over panchayat poll nominations in the state, houses of two Congress candidates were torched in the Ratua area in Malda, police said.