Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Friday issued a stay order on the notification of the election dates of Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC). The court said that the West Bengal State Election Commission (WBSEC) cannot notify the election dates until the issue is resolved.
A Division Bench of Justice Sabyasachi Bhattacharyya and Justice Arjun Roy ordered that the notification should not be issued until the single judge bench of Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya resolves the issue.
The issue arises from a challenge to the recent process of delimiting KMC wards. The number of wards has been increased to 209 from 144.
The bench clarified that the single judge bench will determine whether the wards were properly delimited. The Election Commission can move ahead with the notification only after this.
KMC Elections 2026: Why did the court impose a stay on Poll Notification?
The challenge was launched by the Communist Party of India (Marxist).
In her petition, CPI(M) leader and former councillor of the party Dipu Das claimed that the challenges to the new delimitation process were not taken into account.
She claimed that suggestions were made to conduct a spot check and public hearing to get the opinions of local residents but were not given enough importance.
The petitioner also claimed that important factors such as population and area of the wards were not taken into consideration.
Das also claimed that the delimitation was done in the favour of a certain political party. However, this is still under litigation.
Wards Delimitation Issue: How did it reach the Division Bench?
The case was first listed before single judge bench of Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya. However, the judge issued an order asking all concerned parties to file their affidavits.
The petitioner then approached the Division Bench.
The petitioner claimed that if the WBSEC issues the KMC elections dates before the issue is resolved then the petition may become irrelevant.
The Division Bench has now issued a stay order to stop the notification until the single judge bench decides whether the wards were properly delimited.
West Bengal Civic Elections: KMC and Howrah Elections Face Uncertainty
This creates uncertainty for the election dates of seven urban civic bodies in West Bengal including KMC and Howrah Municipal Corporation.
The election was originally set to be held in the last week of December with the results expected in the first week of January next year.
However, the court’s stay order has halted the notification of the KMC elections until the issue is resolved.
Depending on any changes to the situation, it could cause uncertainty for the other civic elections.
Sukanta Majumdar Comments on Calcutta HC order
BJP Lok Sabha MP and Union Minister of State Sukanta Majumdar commented on the Division Bench’s decision by saying he had nothing to comment on the court’s ruling.
However, the BJP’s in charge of the preparation for KMC elections said that delaying the elections indefinitely will impact local residents.
“The issue needs to be resolved at the earliest.”
“So, in the interest of the common people, the matter must be resolved at the earliest,” Majumdar said.
As the KMC elections notification has been halted, it will depend on what the single judge bench decides regarding the contentious ward delimitation.