Kolkata (West Bengal): Amid the rising Covid cases in the state and the country, four municipal corporations in West Bengal Chandernagore, Siliguri, Asansol and Bidhan Nagar will be going for polls on January 22.
The opposition parties in the state demanded the polls should be postponed in the wake of the emerging crisis. However, the state election commission, West Bengal has summarily ruled out the possibility and said that the polls will be conducted maintaining the COVID-19 protocols.
In such a situation, people are apprehensive that the long queues of the voters in front of the polling stations and the campaign process will aggravate the pandemic.
BJP, currently the principal opposition party in the state, has already stated that in the wake of the pandemic, they will focus more on social media campaigning. The Left Front candidates will focus on public health in their campaign programmes.
The ruling Trinamool Congress has decided to limit gathering in the micro containment zones.
Kolkata district secretary, Communist Party of India, Marxist Kallol Majumdar said that the state elections commission is suffering from "indecision syndrome".
“The commission does not have the power to make decisions independently. It is operating as an agent of the state government and the ruling party. It would have been better had the state election commission postponed the polls in the wake of the alarming situation now. But the commission did not approach that path. The polls will enhance the number of affected people,” he said.
READ: West Bengal shuts educational institutions, curtails public transport amid rising Covid cases
State BJP spokesman, Jaiprakash Majumdar said that it is "ridiculous" that the educational institutions have been closed in the wake of the pandemic but the polls were not postponed.
“The state government is toying with the lives of common people. The state election commission is the partner of the state government in such an irresponsible move. There was no requirement for municipal corporation polls in the midst of the third pandemic. Rather lives of people are pushed to danger,” he said.
All India Congress Committee (AICC) member, Suvankar Sarkar said that the state government is "clueless".
“On one hand it has allowed Gangasagar Mela to continue and on the other hand, it has ordered the closure of educational institutions. If the state election commission wants we will be constrained to contest. But I doubt how smoothly the elections can be conducted in the current pandemic situation,” he added.
However, youth Trinamool Congress leader Debangshu Bhattacharya said that recently the Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced that the assembly polls for five states including Uttar Pradesh will be held on time. “If Uttar Pradesh can go for polls, then why can’t West Bengal. The state government has already imposed several restrictions to prevent the spread of the pandemic. The polls will be conducted under a lot of restrictions. The opposition parties are criticizing just for the sake of it,” he said.
