Kolkata: Calcutta High Court is not happy with the affidavit filed by the Election Commission of India (ECI) over the Bhabanipur bypoll issue.
According to High Court sources, the Chief Justice (acting) Rajesh Bindal has asked about the cost incurred in the bypoll to which CPI (M) leader and Rajya Sabha MP and an advocate Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharjee said that the cost incurred is almost Rs 3 crore.
Referring to the ECI, the Court said that what sort of ‘constitutional crisis’ would have happened if permission of bypoll was denied?
Notably, the West Bengal Chief Secretary HK Diwedi had earlier at a virtual meeting with the ECI officials claimed that there would be a constitutional crisis if the bypoll of Bhabanipur constituency is not held on time.
“There has been an elected MLA from the Bhabanipur constituency and then he had resigned from the post. The ECI should come out clear about their intentions of allowing bypoll in only Bhabanipur seat during the pandemic,” said the high court sources.
The next hearing of this case is due on September 26.
According to poll analysts, the verdict of the Calcutta High Court can be a ‘gamechanger’.
Union minister Smriti Irani who visited Kolkata said that the TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee’s ‘pride’ made her feel that she can win from any constituency.
“The pride of Mamata Banerjee broke after she had lost in Nandigram. She thought she could win from any seat and now being helpless had returned to Bhabanipur which she had earlier overlooked,” said Irani.
Claiming that the voters should vote ‘wisely’, Irani claimed that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee calls everyone ‘outsiders’ and also alleged that if need be TMC supremo also calls Bengali ‘outsiders’.
The Union Minister also claimed that TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee’s urge to vote for her from a special community is ‘constitutional crisis’.
