The Trinamool Congress protesting outside the state election commission in Kolkata on Monday.
Re-polls to civic bodies in West Bengal will not take place today. Other than that confirmation, the civic poll process that began on Saturday seems out on a limb.
The state election commissioner who quit on Tuesday had said re-polls at some booths on October 8, counting on 9th. But his successor found no such formal notification.
"Not re-polls tomorrow. As for counting. We are examining the issue," the new interim poll commissioner Alapan Bandopadhyay said.
"We are also examining if there are precedents about re-polls being ordered on the basis of webcam footage. There are 2000 hours of footage. That will take time," he added.
Three civic polls, particularly at Salt Lake, were marred by alleged strong arm tactics by the Trinamool Congress. The other corporation that went to polls on Saturday was Bally, which is part of the Howrah civic body.
The new commissioner is a senior serving IAS officer in the state. He holds the post of principal secretary, transport. The opposition and civil society have questioned a serving officer doubling up as poll commissioner.
But Mr Bandopadhyay countered that, saying, "Since when has lawful compliance of lawful order of a lawfully constituted government become an offence? There could be moral and ethical issues in civil society. I am not arguing with that. Why should I be criticised?"
But controversy persists. Sushanta Ranjan Upadhyay, the poll panel chief who just quit, is believed to have told close circles that he was shocked by the behaviour and pressure tactics of the Trinamool. Scores of Trinamool leaders had gone on a dharna on Monday morning protesting his decision to indefinitely put off counting scheduled for 7 October after rigging complaints.
Later on Monday, four senior Trinamool leaders - Subrata Bakshi, Subrata Mukherjee, Partha chatterjee and Shovan Chatterjee went to Mr Upadhyay's office to submit a memo. They were there for four hours and reportedly thumped his desk and threatened him if he did not hold re-polls on 7th.
Will the interim poll panel chief be able to withstand political pressure and function impartially? Mr Bandopadhyay will certainly be under the scanner.