Kolkata: The State Election Commission on Monday decided to postpone the upcoming civic polls in West Bengal in the wake of coronavirus outbreak that has claimed at least two lives, while several people have tested positive across the country.
State Election Commissioner Sourav Das said, “Due to the coronavirus, we have decided to delay it (civic polls) as a safety measure. We will take a call on our next course of action after 15 days (March 31).”
The decision to postpone the elections was taken at an all-party meeting today with the SEC and has been welcomed by the political parties.
Meanwhile, a statement issued by the Raj Bhawan stated that Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar is confident that the SEC would take appropriate decision on the upcoming elections amid coronavirus concerns.
“Post interaction with the State Election Commissioner and his subsequent communication to the Election Commission on March 12, 2020, the governor is confident that the SEC would take appropriate call on fixing the dates of the civic elections taking into account the totality of circumstances and the contemporaneous situation,” the statement said.
On Sunday, leaders of Trinamool Congress and the Bengal BJP unit expressed their desire to defer the municipal elections scheduled to be held across the state next month.
A statement issued by the TMC read, “We are all aware of the prevailing threat of COVID-19 which has been declared a pandemic by WHO. The West Bengal government has issued advisories and implemented several measures with regard to precautions that citizens need to take to ensure their safety.
“In the wake of such a crisis, we will appeal to the State Election Commission of West Bengal to defer the upcoming municipal/corporation elections. In fighting this pandemic, political parties must stand shoulder to shoulder with the people we represent. Election will come and go. Politics must take a backseat when society is faced with such threats. Political parties must come together and join hands to ensure social well-being. Let us revisit the idea of India. Let's come together and fight this. Together!”
State BJP president Dilip Ghosh too has suggested that the civic poll be deferred considering the health crisis. Earlier, the saffron camp had sought deferment of civic polls in Kolkata as there was little time for campaigning.
On February 20, a BJP delegation, led by senior party leader Mukul Roy, met the SEC and requested that enough time be given to political parties for campaigning by deferring the civic polls as board exams would continue till the end of March.
Comments
0 comment