Lagatar24 Desk
Kolkata, Jan 14: In the backdrop of the mounting Covid-19 instances, the Calcutta high court on Friday urged the West Bengal Election Commission to consider postponing local body elections for four to six weeks. The commission has been given 48 hours to clarify its position on the issue.
In the midst of the pandemic, the court was debating whether municipal elections should be held. Over the last few days, the number of Covid-19 cases in the state has exploded. Bengal is currently one of the leading donors of coronavirus cases across the country.
Asansol Municipal Corporation, Bidhan Nagar Municipal Corporation, Chandernagore Municipal Corporation, Durgapur Municipal Corporation, Howrah Municipal Corporation, and Siliguri Municipal Corporation are among the seven municipal corporations in West Bengal to hold elections.
The state’s electoral panel had previously stated that elections in four municipalities – Asansol, Bidhannagar, Siliguri, and Chandannagar – will be held on January 22 as scheduled, with counting to follow on January 25.
However, as the number of Covid-19 cases has risen alarmingly, an individual, Bimal Bhattacharya, has filed a PIL arguing that the civic polls should be postponed due to the worsening Covid-19 problem.
Mamata Banerjee, the state’s chief minister, said on Thursday that her administration was well equipped to deal with the latest Covid outbreak in the state.
She was addressing during a virtual meeting hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which brought together chief ministers and lieutenant governors from states and union territories to discuss the COVID-19 situation in the country.
