The Left Front can feel a little self-assured on the issue for having placed its order for paramilitary forces earlier. On May 14th, state chief secretary in a letter urged the Centre to send paramilitary forces to oversee the panchayat elections, though usually Central forces are not deployed during elections to panchayat bodies.

The Trinamool Congress has also been urging the Centre to conduct the panchayat elecions under the supervision of paramilitary forces. According to the party, the state secretary's letter was a formality to divert attention from the growing state-sponsored terrorism let loose by the CPI(M) leaders and workers.

"However, our constant demand and focus on the collapsing law and order has not only hastened the process but made it inevitable," Pankaj Banerjee, the chairman of theTrinamool Congress told ENS. "And now that it's granted, the LF has already hatched a plot to make these Central forces inactive in the hours of need," Banerjee claimed.

The LF ministry sources however, feels "there will be an attempt to soak the para-military issue in Mamata Banerjee colour".

"We think that there is a grain of truth in what the State BJP president Tapan Sikdar reportedly told journalists -- `Even people might say the nuclear tests were also carried out because Mamata wanted them!'"

Nandagopal Bhattacharaya, a powerful LF minister and member of the Central Executive CPI, said: "When a chief secretary of a state writes to the Centre demanding paramilitary forces, should we conclude he wrote the letter without any discussion with the Chief Minister?"