Elections in West Bengal to be held as per scheduled with curbs, amid rise in Covid-19 cases

|HT|

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. 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.

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