Due to the surge in COVID cases, the West Bengal Election Commission (EC) on Friday, 16 April, banned campaign rallies, public meetings from being held in the poll-bound state from 7 pm to 10 am, starting Friday, 16 April.
Prior to this the chief electoral officer had on Friday called an all-party meeting in West Bengal to ensure that the the COVID-19 guidelines issued by the Election Commission are adhered to by political leaders during campaigning.
Further, the EC said that it shall be the responsibility of organisers of public meetings, rallies, etc to provide masks and sanitiser to every person attending these events at their cost, which shall be added and counted within the limits of prescribed expenditure.
Responding to the restrictions imposed by the EC, TMC leader Derek O’Brien said in a tweet, “Today the umpire said 7 pm to 10 am no campaigning, this is very suitable to those living in Lutyens bungalows in Delhi. They have breakfast in Delhi, fly down to Kolkata, do some meetings in heat & they will go back. This will expose people to COVID19. (sic)”
On Thursday, 15 April, Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had urged the Election Commission of India to conduct the remaining phases of the Assembly elections in the state in one go, in view of the huge surge in COVID-19 cases.
Banerjee also pointed out, in her tweet, that she was firmly opposed to the Election Commission’s decision to conduct the elections in eight phases in the first place.
In a letter to the EC, the BJP opposed Banerjee’s suggestion to club all phases, asserting that to ensure a level-playing field, the EC must hold the remaining phases as per schedule.
According to India Today, the BJP letter, signed by Bhupender Yadav and Swapan Dasgupta, read, “It is a sacred responsibility of both the Commission and the participating stakeholders. The right to campaign available to candidates, irrespective of their affiliation to parties, shall be protected. The said right, already exercised by more than 60 percent of the candidates, should also be provided to the remaining candidates to ensure equality.”
Assembly polls have been held for 135 constituencies and the remaining 159 seats are set to go to polls between 17 and 29 April. Polling for the fifth phase is scheduled to held on Saturday.
(With inputs from ANI and India Today)
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