New Delhi, April 9: The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a petition filed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seeking its intervention in the upcoming panchayat polls in West Bengal. The Supreme Court refused to interfere with the poll process in the state and said that parties should approach the state election commission with their grievances.

It must be noted that Panchayat polls are conducted by the State Election Commission and it is fully dependent on the state government for manpower and security personnel. With nearly 40 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats administered by panchayats in West Bengal, control of these rural bodies is a must for parties to have an edge in 2019 general elections.

The BJP had sought the Supreme Court's intervention alleging that the ruling Trinamool Congress workers were not allowing candidates from the Opposition parties to file their nominations. The Apex Court was told that "democracy is being murdered "in the state and sought the top court's intervention.

Reports inform that the BJP had sought extension of the last date for filing of nomination. It also sought direction to the Centre for deployment of troops from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) for panchayat elections. Polling in West Bengal has been scheduled on May 1, 3, and 5. The counting of votes will be held on May 8. According to the notification, the last date of filing nominations is April 9 and the last date of scrutiny of the nominations is April 11.

The panchayat elections will be held across 48,650 seats in 3,358 gram panchayats, 9,217 seats at 341 panchayat samitis, and 825 seats at 20 zilla parishads in three phases in the first week of May. The TMC now not only controls all the zilla parishads of the state but also 90% of the panchayat seats.

The battle in the state is interestingly poised as the Trinamool Congress (TMC) is planning to play a bigger role nationally after the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and the BJP aiming to emerge as the main opposition to the TMC in the state. In 2013, the TMC had won 34 out of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state in a stellar show in panchayat polls. The TMC’s victory in South 24 Parganas and East Midnapore Zilla Parishads in the 2008 panchayat polls first signaled the fall of the three-decade-old Left regime in 2011.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 09, 2018 03:52 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).