Mamata urges EC to club remaining phases of Assembly elections

Poll panel says there's no question for such a move

Mamata Banerjee.: File picture

TT Bureau, Agencies   |   Calcutta   | 15.04.21: Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday urged the Election Commission to hold the remaining four phases of the Assembly elections in the state in one single day in view of rising Covid cases in the country.

“Amid an ongoing pandemic, we firmly opposed @ECISVEEP's decision to conduct WB polls in 8 phases. Now, in view of the huge surge in #COVID19 cases, I urge the ECI to consider holding the remaining phases in ONE go. This will protect the people from further exposure to #COVID19,” Mamata posted from her Twitter handle in the evening.

Amid an ongoing pandemic, we firmly opposed @ECISVEEP's decision to conduct WB polls in 8 phases.

Now, in view of the huge surge in #COVID19 cases, I urge the ECI to consider holding the remaining phases in ONE go. This will protect the people from further exposure to #COVID19.

— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) April 15, 2021

Among the five states where Assembly elections were held this year, Bengal is the only state where four out of the eight phases of polls still remain. The other four states -- Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry -- have already gone through the process and are now waiting for the results.

Earlier in the day, the poll panel ended speculation about a change in voting schedule by saying that there was no question of clubbing the remaining phases of the elections in Bengal.

Arrangements for the fifth phase of polls, on April 17, are already nearing completion, an election official said, even as several social media users held debates on whether the poll panel should at least conduct the next three phases of Bengal elections on a single day.

"(There is) no such plan of clubbing phases," an EC spokesperson in response to queries.

There are suggestions that some political parties may raise the issue at an all-party meeting called by the chief electoral officer of West Bengal on Friday. The meeting has been called to ensure that Covid-19 guidelines issued by the EC are adhered to by political leaders during campaigning.

Amid the rising number of coronavirus cases, the EC had on April 9 flagged instances of star campaigners and leaders campaigning without masks and warned that it will not hesitate in banning events like rallies in case the Covid-19 guidelines issued by it last year are not followed.

Several TMC leaders have accused the EC of conducting the polls for too long without any reason. Earlier on Thursday, TMC MP Mahua Moitra tweeted, “It is certainly criminal negligence bordering on manslaughter on part of @ECISVEEP  to mandate 8 phase election in WB in middle of worst pandemic. Unbelievable that we are being put through this. Infections, deaths rising everyday.”

Bengal will go into its fifth phase of polling on Saturday, while the remaining phases will be held on April 22, April 26 and April 29.

Results for all the eight phases will be declared on May 2.