Mamata Banerjee and the Election Commission in Bengal are at war over when and how panchayat elections should be held in the state.
Here are 10 big developments in this story:
The Election Commission has taken the government to court today. It wants the court to reject the dates set by the government for the panchayat elections.
Ms Banerjee's government announced recently that the elections will be held on April 26 and 30.
The Election Commission wants voting to be held over three days.
The government has said that central paramilitary forces should not be used during the election and that the state police force will prevent violence. Government leaders say that using paramilitary forces will telegraph a law and order problem in Bengal, which is unacceptable to them.
The government is legally obliged to consult the state Election Commission for voting dates.
Panchayat bodies in the state's 17 districts, elected for a five-year period, complete their terms in July.
The government says it wanted the elections to be held in February, and that the election commission is forcing delays to help Opposition parties who are not ready to face voters.
Mukul Roy, a senior leader from Ms Banerjee's Trinamool Congress, has alleged that the Election Commission's exchange of letters with the government are unnecessary. "There had been at least 10 to 12 exchanges of communication by the state chief secretary, the home secretary and the panchayat secretary with the SEC (State Election Commission) but we do not find reason why the election is not being held," he said.
Panchayat Minister Subrata Mukherjee has claimed that rural polls in Bengal have never been supervised by central paramilitary forces. "Law and order in West Bengal is better than any other state," he said last week.
Left controls 13 districts, two each with the Congress and Trinamool and the results of the elections will indicate the popularity of major political parties before next year's Lok Sabha election.
