Panchayat Polls: Bengal Guv holds SEC responsible for bloodshed

Kolkata, June 22 (IANS) West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose on Thursday held State Election Commissioner (SEC) Rajiva Sinha responsible for the bloodshed in the state in the run up to the July 8 panchayat elections.

"I appointed the State Election Commissioner. I had faith in him that he will ensure free and fair polls. But I feel that the common people are disappointed. There has been so much bloodshed," the Governor said while speaking to mediapersons here.

The Governor's remarks came after the division bench of Calcutta High Court's Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam on Wednesday advised Sinha to step down from his chair if he is unable to perform his duty.

"In that case, the Governor will appoint someone else," Justice Sivagnanam had said.

So far, nine people have died in panchayat poll-related violence in West Bengal.

Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress spokesman Kunal Ghosh attacked the Governor and asked him to leave Bengal.

"No matter how much respect we might give to the Governor, ultimately he is a BJP-appointed man. The opposition parties are trying to create tension in certain pockets of the state and the Governor is trying to fuel it. He is not making spot visits to places where the victims are from Trinamool. If the Governor tries to defer the panchayat elections, we will be forced to ask him to leave West Bengal," Ghosh said.