Kolkata: The Supreme Court of India, in a significant special sitting held on May 2, 2026, has cleared the decks for the Election Commission, on the appointment of counting personnel for the West Bengal Assembly Elections.
The ruling has come just 48 hours before the scheduled counting of the votes on May 4, dismissing a plea by the TMC that challenged the EC's recent circular. Stylum Women's Solid & Embroidered Cotton Tiered Dress
That must be a big sigh of relief to BJP, and judgement is the blessing in disguise to ECI.
The TMC had moved the court against an EC order that authorized the deployment of Central Government employees, as counting supervisors and micro-observers, rather than relying on the traditional pool of state government or the local staff. The bench stated that the Election Commission is a constitutional body with the primary order to ensure free and fair and transparent elections.
The court specified that the EC has the absolute right to choose its personnel to maintain the integrity of the process. The Supreme Court further added, choosing personnel from a central pool is a valid administrative decision to ensure neutrality, especially in highly contested zones, the bench overtly stated.
The EC can have all the liberty to choose counting personnel from only one pool, that is from the central government, and its circular cannot be said to be incorrect, it concluded with no further order is needed. The EC also added, that using central staff reduces the risk of local political intimidation or bias at the counting tables, predominantly in districts like South 24 Parganas and Birbhum. The "Blood and Water" doctrine is now a stark reality
The court outrageously rejected the TMC's claim, that this move displayed a lack of trust in state employees, framing it instead as a standard transparency measure during a sensitive election cycle. This legal battle is the latest in a series of hostilities between the TMC and central authorities from couple of weeks. The Dhaka Alarm: Why a BJP Win in Bengal is Rattling the Neighborhood
The judgement, according to BJP supporters, has enhanced the possibility of victory to BJP.