E-Paper
Conduct remaining phases of polls in one go: Mamata to EC
Kolkata With West Bengal registering an alarming spike in the daily count of Covid-19 cases, chief minister Mamata Banerjee urged the Election Commission of India on Thursday to hold the remaining phases of the state assembly elections in one go
Kolkata With West Bengal registering an alarming spike in the daily count of Covid-19 cases, chief minister Mamata Banerjee urged the Election Commission of India on Thursday to hold the remaining phases of the state assembly elections in one go.
On Friday, the state’s chief electoral officer will meet representatives of all the 10 recognised political parties in the state to ensure that Covid-19 protocols are followed during election campaigns.
“Amid an ongoing pandemic, we firmly opposed @ECISVEEP’s decision to conduct WB polls in 8 phases. Now, in view of the huge surge in #COVID19 cases, I urge the ECI to consider holding the remaining phases in ONE go. This will protect the people from further exposure to #COVID19,” Banerjee tweeted on Thursday evening.
On Wednesday, the Calcutta high court ordered the state’s chief election officer and all district magistrates to ensure strict implementation of coronavirus-related protocols in political campaigns for the remaining four phases of polling.
“Four phases have been completed while the fifth phase is scheduled on Saturday. The ECI can hold the remaining three phases in one go. After the fifth phase ends around 114 seats will remain. They can give us (political parties) some time for campaigning and conduct the polls in one phase around April 26,” Banerjee said in an interview to a vernacular media channel on Thursday evening.
A senior official of the poll panel has said that there are no plans at present to hold the remaining phases in one go.
West Bengal reported 6,769 new cases on Thursday, which was more than 31 times the daily count on February 26, when the ECI had announced the poll dates. This is also the highest daily count of Covid-19 the state has registered since the disease broke out in 2020.
“The election is being conducted by the ECI. Every political party has to have deep faith in the poll panel’s ability and neutrality,” said Jay Prakash Majumdar, vice-president of the BJP’s state unit.
While a Congress candidate from Murshidabad district, who was Covid-positive, died on Thursday, at least five other candidates of various political parties have been diagnosed with the virus.
“If the ECI decides to postpone or conduct the election (remaining phases) before the scheduled dates the Congress has no objection. The Congress party and the Sanjukta Morcha don’t play with the life of the common people,” Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, president of the Congress party in West Bengal, told the media in Murshidabad.
The TMC chief slammed the BJP and held it responsible for the spike in Covid cases, alleging that the party is bringing in hundreds of men from outside the state for election campaigns.
“They (BJP) are bringing in hundreds of men from outside. All their top leaders, including the Prime Minister, Union home minister, other central ministers and chief ministers of all BJP-ruled states are coming every day and holding rallies. Can we test each and every one of them?” said Banerjee.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath tested positive for Covid-19 and is isolating himself, he tweeted on Wednesday. He held three rallies in south Bengal on April 8.
“The ECI should complete the poll process at the earliest. The more it lingers, the higher would be the spike. We need to focus on Covid-19 at the moment. Else the situation would aggravate further. Mass gatherings where people hardly follow the safety protocols act as superspreaders. The HC order is welcome and should be strictly implemented. All safety protocols have taken a back seat in the elections rallies as a result of which, the cases are rising,” said Manas Gumta, general secretary of Association of Health Service Doctors in the state.
While the BJP earlier on Thursday alleged that the same group of miscreants who shot an 18-year-old first-time voter at Sitalkuchi in Cooch Behar on April 10 attacked central forces in a planned manner, Banerjee said later the entire sequence of events in which four people were shot dead by central forces was planned by a BJP MP along with central agencies.
Meanwhile, an FIR was lodged against Banerjee in Cooch Behar alleging that she instigated voters to gherao central forces which led to the firing incident in which four persons were killed. Banerjee had earlier been banned for 24 hours from canvassing for allegedly making statements against central forces.
