WB: Ahmed Patel questions EC's decision, says poll body kept in mind PM's rally schedule while banning campaigning

Congress leader Ahmed Patel berate heavily on the election commission in West Bengal. A senior party leader questioned the decision of the poll body and asked if the situation in the state is serious, then why is the Commission not in immediate effect to ban the campaign? The election campaign for nine constituencies to be held on May 19 was to end on Friday at 5 a.m.

New Delhi: Congress leader Ahmed Patel came down heavily on the Election Commission after it cut short campaigning period in West Bengal.

The senior party leader questioned the poll body's decision and asked if the situation in the state was severe, why did the commission not ban campaigning with immediate effect.

• If situation in Bengal is so severe that campaigning must be stopped, why is EC waiting until tomorrow? Is it because PM has scheduled rallies tomorrow?

  — Ahmed Patel (@ahmedpatel) May 15, 2019 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="

  If situation in Bengal is so severe that campaigning must be stopped, why is EC waiting until tomorrow? Is it because PM has scheduled rallies tomorrow?

  — Ahmed Patel (@ahmedpatel) May 15, 2019

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  If situation in Bengal is so severe that campaigning must be stopped, why is EC waiting until tomorrow? Is it because PM has scheduled rallies tomorrow?

  — Ahmed Patel (@ahmedpatel) May 15, 2019

Taking to Twitter, Patel asked, "If the situation in Bengal is so severe that campaigning must be stopped, why is EC waiting until tomorrow? Is it because PM has scheduled rallies tomorrow?"

"Isn't it unprecedented that EC claims it's an unprecedented situation in West Bengal but yet is waiting for PM to complete his public meetings?" he tweeted.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address election rallies in Mathurapur and Dumdum.

On Wednesday, the Election Commission decided to cut short the campaign period in the state after the violence was reported during BJP president Amit Shah's roadshow on Wednesday.

"No election campaigning to be held in nine parliamentary constituencies of West Bengal, namely Dum Dum, Barasat, Basirhat, Jaynagar, Mathurapur, Jadavpur, Diamond Harbour, South and North Kolkata, from 10 pm tomorrow till the conclusion of polls," Deputy Election Commissioner Chandra Bhushan Kumar told media.

Campaigning was originally scheduled to end at 5 pm on Friday for the nine constituencies that will go to polls on May 19.