West Bengal Panchayat polls: HC allows nominations via WhatsApp

In an unprecedented move, the Calcutta High Court has permitted nine independents to file their nominations via WhatsApp for the West Bengal Panchayat elections. The court directed the Election Commission to treat the nine nominations filed on WhatsApp by the independent candidates as valid.

The petitioners had said that they failed to submit their nominations physically. However, they managed to send it through WhatsApp to the Bhangar-II block development officer.

The HC had asked the SEC on Monday to help these nine persons file their nominations and asked them to file the papers at the Alipore sub-divisional officer's office. But one of the candidates, Sharmistha Choudhury, told the HC on Tuesday that they were made to wait at the office; miscreants later assaulted them and snatched their documents and stopped them from filing their papers. But she and the others sent the BDO their papers via WhatsApp.

The court will hear the matter on April 30, two days after the last date of withdrawal.