Calcutta HC rejects BJP’s petition to stay counting of votes for Contai municipal polls

The BJP had moved the Calcutta High Court on Monday, seeking a stay on the counting of votes for the Contai municipal polls. The high court rejected the petition on Tuesday.

The Calcutta High Court, on Tuesday, rejected the Bharatiya Janata Party's petition for a stay on the counting of votes polled in the Contai Municipal Corporation elections in West Bengal. The elections took place on February 27 and the results for all the 108 municipalities in the state will be declared on March 2.

The BJP had moved the high court on Monday and had asked for an urgent listing of the matter before a bench comprising Chief Justice Prakash Shrivastava and Justice Rajarshi Bharadwaj.

The BJP had alleged that the police and SEC had failed to perform their role to contain rigging and attacks, and called for "re-polling" in the state under the supervision of central police forces.

The state and the State Election Commission (SEC) have not yet responded to the allegations made by BJP in its petition.

Meanwhile, the high court has directed both the state and SEC to submit a report in the form of an affidavit by Monday. The SEC has also been directed to take steps to preserve the CCTV camera and footage.The next date of hearing is scheduled for March 11.

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