In the midst of a surge in COVID-19 events, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announced today that it would not hold any large rallies or public meetings during the ongoing West Bengal assembly election campaign, including those attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other party leaders.
The decision comes as the party faces criticism from rivals over its leaders’ large rallies in West Bengal as the COVID-19 tally rises to unprecedented heights across the region.
The BJP said that breaking the chain of coronavirus infection is critical at this time and that it will use its “huge digital presence” to reach out to voters with the message of its top leaders.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders will speak at only limited public gatherings with a maximum attendance of 500 people, according to a statement released by the group.
Rahul Gandhi has already scrapped his gatherings in West Bengal, while Mamata Banerjee, the state’s chief minister and the president of the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), has said that her party will hold small meetings in Kolkata and that she will make brief speeches at rallies in districts where voting will take place in the remaining three phases.
The BJP claims that all of its public meetings will be held in open spaces, in accordance with COVID-19 guidelines, and that it will distribute six million masks and hand sanitizers throughout the province.
The party has stated that it is essential to uphold constitutional and democratic duties, adding that the state’s assembly elections are currently underway.
In the wake of a massive increase in COVID incidents, the BJP said that the country had previously overcome major challenges under Modi and will do so again.
Amit Malviya, the BJP’s IT wing chief, and state co-in-charge said the party would use its “huge digital presence” to spread the word of Modi and other leaders to lakhs of voters.
“We were good in doing so during the Bihar elections, which were also held under the cloud of Covid. The opposition had argued that it gave us an advantage at the time “he said
