Trinamool Congress Moves Supreme Court of India Over EC Rule on Counting Staff
Mumbai: The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Friday moved the Supreme Court of India challenging the Election Commission’s decision to appoint only central government and Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) employees as counting supervisors and assistants for vote counting scheduled on May 4.
The party has sought an urgent hearing in the matter. According to sources, Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant directed that the case be listed for hearing on Saturday.
The legal challenge comes amid heightened political tensions during the second phase of polling in West Bengal. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had earlier alleged that “observers from outside” and police personnel unfamiliar with the state were being deployed in a way that targeted TMC workers, further intensifying the charged atmosphere marked by clashes between TMC and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporters.
The controversy stems from a recent communication issued by the Additional Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengal, which mandated that at least one member among the counting supervisor or assistant at every counting table must be a central government or PSU employee.
Challenging the directive, the TMC argued that such an order could only be issued by the Election Commission of India and not by the Additional CEO. The party also contended that the direction deviates from the Commission’s handbook, which does not require central personnel for these roles. While micro-observers are typically drawn from central services, extending the same requirement to counting staff was described as arbitrary and specific to West Bengal.
In its plea, the TMC further alleged potential bias, claiming that central government employees could be influenced due to the political control of the central government, thereby affecting a level playing field during vote counting.
However, the Calcutta High Court rejected these arguments earlier, ruling that the Election Commission’s guidelines allow appointment of counting staff from both central and state services. The court held that such decisions fall within the discretion of election authorities.
Dismissing allegations of bias, the High Court noted that multiple safeguards already exist in the counting process, including the presence of micro-observers, candidate-appointed counting agents, and CCTV surveillance. It also observed that the concerns raised by the TMC were not supported by concrete evidence.
The High Court’s dismissal prompted the TMC to escalate the matter to the Supreme Court, where the issue is now set to be heard urgently, potentially shaping the conduct of vote counting in the ongoing elections.
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