Kolkata:
The West Bengal Election Commission today moved Calcutta High Court seeking cancellation of dates announced by the state government for panchayat polls.
The Mamata Banerjee government had announced that the panchayat polls will be held in the state in two phases on April 26 and 30, but the poll panel wants a three-phase election.
The Election Commission also wants Central paramilitary forces to be deployed during panchayat polls, but the state government has said no to it.
The matter is likely to be considered by the court, following listing, either tomorrow or any day after that.
The ruling Trinamool Congress and the state poll panel, which conducts the elections to local bodies like the panchayats and the civic bodies, have for months battled over the panchayat polls.
While the commission recommended a three-phase voting and deployment of central paramilitary forces, the state government wanted a two-phase poll by pressing into service only the state police personnel.
The party had even accused state Election Commissioner Meera Pandey of being "biased" and asked the poll panel "not to cross its limits".
The Opposition Congress and the Left Front had demanded the conduct of the polls in at least three stages with the deployment of central forces.
The districts which go to polls April 26 are: Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, South Dinajpur, Nadia, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Purulia, Howrah, East Midnapore, West Midnapore, Bankura, Birbhum, Burdwan and Hooghly.
The polls in North Dinajpur, Malda and Murshidabad districts will be held April 30. Coincidently, the Congress has a strong presence in the above three districts.