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Local polls to be held as per schedule in Bengal despite surge in Covid-19 cases
Protocols prohibit roadshows as well as bike and cycle rallies. During door-to-door campaigns, candidates can take no more than four other persons and security guards along
KOLKATA: Elections to four municipalities in West Bengal will be held on January 22 as per schedule with curbs on roadshows and rallies amid a sharp spike in Covid-19 cases, state poll panel officials said.
“There would be no change in dates of the civic elections. WBSEC (West Bengal State Election Commission) has issued some Covid-19 protocols. These are similar to the ones issued by the Election Commission of India (ECI) in April 2021 when assembly elections were being held in five states, including West Bengal,” said an official.
The protocols prohibit roadshows, bike, and cycle rallies. During door-to-door campaigns, candidates may take four other persons and security guards along.
Meetings in open spaces have been allowed with maximum participation of 500 people. Only 200 people would be allowed at meetings organised in conference halls. The campaign will end 72 hours before the polling day.
Also Read | West Bengal imposes fresh Covid-19 restrictions, here’s all you need to know
In December, the WBSEC announced the schedule for civic bodies polls including in Asansol, Bidhannagar, Siliguri, and Chandannagar on January 22. Counting will be held on January 25.
Covid-19 cases and positivity rates in the state have shot up over the last week. Over 6,000 Covid-19 cases were reported on Monday. The positivity rate was nearly 20% meaning one out of every five samples was found to be positive.
In April, the Madras high court criticised the ECI when the daily count of Covid-19 cases shot up after the assembly elections in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala, and Puducherry. In West Bengal, the daily count reached a peak of over 20,000 cases daily in May 2021 after the elections.
Sukanta Majumdar, state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief, said they doubt how far people would come out and vote due to fear of Covid-19. “I do not know why and how the WBSEC would conduct the polls amid so many restrictions. If people do not come out to vote and the voting percentage drops, then I do not think it would be considered as a successful election.”
The government on Sunday reimposed stricter restrictions till January 15 by closing schools and colleges, limiting the workforce across offices, and restricting flights from Delhi and Mumbai.
State minister Sobhandeb Chatterjee said if the guidelines are followed, then there is nothing to fear. “BJP has only one thing in mind and that is criticism. But you would never see them hitting the streets and actively taking part in making people aware of the Covid-19 norms.”
