New Delhi: The Supreme Court is scheduled to urgently hear a petition filed by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on May 2 challenging a Calcutta High Court order that upheld the Election Commission's decision to deploy central government and public sector employees in key roles during the West Bengal Assembly election counting process.

The TMC has opposed the Election Commission's April 13 directive which mandates that at least one counting supervisor and assistant at each table be a central government or central public sector undertaking employee. The party argues that this raises concerns over fairness and neutrality in the counting process.

The Calcutta High Court had earlier dismissed the challenge, stating that safeguards such as micro-observers and CCTV monitoring were sufficient to ensure transparency and prevent malpractice.

Supreme Court hearing scheduled before counting day

A Special Bench comprising Justices P. S. Narasimha and Joymalya Bagchi will hear the matter on May 2, just days before vote counting is scheduled on May 4. The urgency of the hearing reflects the proximity of the counting process.

The Election Commission has maintained that the arrangements are designed to ensure transparency and prevent electoral malpractice. West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Agarwal has said there is "no scope for wrongdoing" at counting centres, citing round-the-clock CCTV surveillance of strong rooms and other monitoring mechanisms.

Political tensions rise ahead of counting

The legal dispute comes amid heightened political tension in the state. BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari has criticised Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over her presence at a counting centre, calling it "dramabazi" and alleging that such actions will not influence the election outcome.