On Thursday (April 15), West Bengal Minister Chief Mamata Banerjee asked the Election Commission, in view of growing instances of COVID-19 in the state, to consider conducting polling for the remaining assembly sites at one go. She also emphasized that the lengthy eight-phase polling schedule was formerly rejected by her side.
In a tweet to the general public, she said that such a step should be taken with a view to the general interest, and said, “In the middle of a pandemic, we strongly opposed @ECISVEEP’s decision to conduct WB polls in 8 phases.
In the run-up to the fifth polling stages, on 17 April, the debates in the social media are on whether the panel will at least hold the following three phases of elections in Bengal on a single day.
Meanwhile, on Thursday evening, the election commission placed a 24-hour campaign prohibition on BJP president Dilip Ghosh for saying that ‘Sitalkuchi will be in many locations.’ It also sent a letter to another leader of BJP Sayantan Basu, requesting him to clarify his stance within 24 hours, on his allegations of “racist” remark in a speech.
The EC against Dilip Ghosh said that, while making public statements during this period, Ghosh “sternly warns” and urges him to refrain from using the same statements.
This prohibition would apply between 7:00 p.m. and 19:00 p.m., April 15 and April 16, when Ghosh cannot campaign. The representatives of the TMC came against Ghosh to the Elections Committee.
But Sayantan Basu, leader of the West Bengal BJP, was notified of his alleged “racist” remark during his talk. The note said that in the North 24 Parganas’ Baranagar, the Poll received a protest against Basu.
His speech was found to violate the Election Commission’s model code and sections of the People’s Act and the Indian Penal Code.
