By IANS,
Kolkata: The Election Commission Wednesday ruled out holding assembly elections in West Bengal before schedule, saying any such speculation was “ill-informed”.
“There is no possibility of advancing polls. Any such comment is totally ill-informed,” Election Commissioner S.Y. Qureshi told mediapersons here.
Assembly elections in West Bengal are due next summer.
“No such proposal (to advance polls) has reached the Election Commission from political parties. Neither do we have it in mind. We come into the picture six months before the elections,” Qureshi said.
“As the assembly poll in the state is scheduled to be held in June 2011 we will be in the picture from December 2010,” said the election commissioner.
“Let me explain… The ball will come into our court on Dec 11. Before that we can’t do anything. Any speculation in the media is not in our purview.”
Qureshi said the Election Commission will also take into account factors like drought, floods, law and order problems and exams before finalising the dates.
After her party’s stupendous successes in recent elections, main opposition Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee has demanded that the election dates be advanced saying the ruling Left Front has lost the moral right to continue in office.
The Left Front has vehemently opposed Banerjee’s demand.