A political tussle has erupted over elections to the four municipal corporations in West Bengal, where Covid cases are on the rise, largely driven by the fast-spreading Omicron variant. The civic polls for Bidhannagar, Chandannagar, Asansol and Siliguri are to be held on January 22. Opposition BJP and Left Front are asking how elections can be held in the current situation. The ruling Trinamool Congress is countering that the Election Commission of India did not heed its request to merge the last few rounds of the eight-phase assembly elections in April-May 2021, when a second wave of Covid was wreaking havoc. TMC alleges that BJP was silent at that time.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was in Gangasagar last week when she spoke about some restrictions due to the pandemic, including possible school-college closures. BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar had replied that if the situation is worrying, then the civic elections should also be postponed.
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After that, however, the opposition party did not directly ask the State Election Commission to postpone the election. State BJP spokesperson Shamik Bhattacharya said, “The Election Commission will take the decision. In such a situation it will be clear that vote for TMC is more valuable than human life. Elections cannot be held normally in a state of panic.”
The Calcutta High Court on Thursday reserved judgment on a plea seeking cancellation of this year’s Gangasagar Mela, an annual Hindu pilgrimage where lakhs of people gather around Makar Sankranti amid a fresh surge in Covid cases. . “We have not made up our mind, we will look into it and we will pass an appropriate order,” a bench of Chief Justice Prakash Srivastava and Justice Kesang Doma Bhutia remarked orally.
West Bengal recorded 15,421 new cases daily on Thursday, with 19 fresh deaths.
The Trinamool Congress has been pointing out that it, along with the CPI(M) and the Congress, was vocal in its demand to hold the last three rounds of last year’s assembly elections together to contain the spread of Covid. Polling was postponed at two centers due to the death of two candidates from the Left and the Congress, while one Trinamool candidate died before the results were declared. Many CPI(M) candidates stopped campaigning in Kolkata. But the election was still held in 8 phases.
“Despite the dire situation in the state at that time, the BJP was busy bringing Narendra Modi and Amit Shah to the meetings. Then he had a dream of capturing Bengal. Now at the time of civic elections, he is missing Kovid.
BJP’s Samik Bhattacharya responded to Trinamool’s allegation. “There is no question of BJP keeping silent at that time. In view of the law and order situation in Bengal, the Election Commission conducted the assembly elections in eight phases. The post-election terror took the lives of 46 people. If this continues, Bengal will not only have to vote in 8 phases but in 18 phases and even after that, central forces will be needed for three months.
CPI(M) central committee member Sujan Chakraborty on Wednesday also said that the decision to hold polling on January 22 and counting of votes on January 25 is the birthday of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose (January 23), National Voters’ Day (January 25) and Republic Day (26 January). Jan) was not correct. The Left Front has already said this in a letter. Now the situation of Kovid has got added. We are postponing several party conventions. Is it possible to make a choice at this time?” he said.
A Congress delegation led by former MLA Asit Mitra wrote to the commission on the same day, seeking protection of candidates, party workers and voters. He also complained that there was no indication that the rules would be followed.
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