EC calls for all-party meet in Bengal

On a day when West Bengal reported its highest ever Covid-19 spike of nearly 6,000 cases — since the pandemic broke out last year, the Election Commission of India has called an all-party meeting to discuss issues relating to poll campaigns in the State.

The meeting in which one representative from each of the 10 prime political parties will participate is to be held on Friday, in Kolkata, and is likely to discuss guidelines to be followed while campaigning.

The Election Commission’s move follows the Calcutta High Court seeking its response on the action taken on Covid-19 safety protocols during the poll campaigns.

The second wave of Covid-19 is rampaging through the State with 5,892 infections being reported on Wednesday. Kolkata with over 1,600 cases and North 24 Parganas with 1,200 are among the worst affected. Infections in these districts were hovering over 1,000 for the last few days in the backdrop of intense political activities.

Campaign-infection link

A glance through numbers shows a direct link between heightened poll activities and the corresponding spike in cases.

On April 1 – the day when second of the eight rounds of voting took place – Kolkata had 399 fresh cases (addition on a 24-hour basis), North 24 Parganas reported 397, South 24 Parganas (the largest administrative district in the State) had 59 new cases and Hooghly 73 fresh infections. Polling was yet to take place across most districts then.

After elections were completed in Hooghly (on April 10), infections shot up. The daily additions, between April 11 and April 14 stood at 191, 290, 168 and 289. In South 24 Parganas, where polls have also been completed, daily infections in a four-day-period stood at 288 (April 11), 295 (April 12), 298 (April 13) and 337 (April 14).

In Darjeeling, where polls are to be held on April 17, and there is heightened activity, daily infections rose from 18 on April 1 to 113 on April 13. In Kalimpong, another hill district that was practically free of Covid-19 on March 31 has seen 14 new cases being reported on April 14. Another example is the Nadia district, where fresh Covid-19 cases have seen a 10-fold jump in two weeks – from 16 cases on April 1, to 168 on April 14. Polls will be held here on April 17 and April 22.

Trading charges

The Trinamool Congress had to replace one of its candidates in Birbhum district after he was hospitalised with Covid-19. The party also kept Amit Mitra, the Finance Minister, from the poll fray allegedly due to his co-morbidities.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath, and senior BJP leaders with whom he had shared dais, during campaigning in West Bengal, have all tested positive. However, political parties have been passing the buck.

BJP’s IT cell head, and West Bengal’s co-incharge, Amit Malviya, pointed out that election bound States had reported a much lesser surge in cases than those “with no elections” such as Maharastra, Chhattisgarh, Delhi and Karnataka. “But call is to stop Kumbh and campaign in WB!” he tweeted.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee squarely blamed the BJP over the surge in cases in the State. She alleged the party bringing in “outsiders” was the cause for the spread of infections.

“BJP is bringing in outsiders to spread Corona here. It is bringing in leaders, Ministers, which is leading to a rise in infections,” she accused at a rally. Banerjee, also the State’s Health minister, alleged that the Centre was “deliberately holding back on vaccine supply” to the State.

The BJP on its part hit out. “It would make more sense if she concentrated on tackling Covid-19, rather than painting, protesting and floating conspiracy theories,” a party spokesperson said.

COMMENT NOW