Opposing Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s suggestions that the 8-phase elections be effectively reduced to six phases so to say, the BJP on Friday said itwas against clubbing the last three phases of elections into a single-day polling saying the exercise would go against democratic spirit putting the voters and candidates into a position of disadvantage.
Bengal goes to the fifth phase of polling on April 17 that is Saturday. Senior BJP leader and its candidate from Tarakeshwar seat in Hooghly Swapan Dasgupta, said after emerging from the all-party meeting called by the Election Commission of India “we have said our party will abide by all protocols put in place by the Election Commission, and urged that no steps be taken that discriminates those voting in the next phases from those who have already exercised their franchise. We have not said anything about clubbing (of phases),... we feel that the elections will be held in eight phases.”
The meeting was called by the ECI to discuss the election situation in the wake of rising corona cases. Bengal on Thursday recorded the highest single-day spike of 6,769 corona virus cases and at least 22 more fatalities.
Dwelling on the possibilities of holding virtual rallies against the backdrop of rising cases he said such meetings for the remaining phases were not possible as half of the eight phases had already been held and that changing the rules for the voters and candidates now would mean denial of level-playing field to those who would go to polls after the fifth phase of polling.
“A level playing field has to be maintained...We have advised the Election Commission to balance the need for a robust democratic culture with safety norms… “It is up to the Election Commission to tell us what exactly the political parties must do.
We have assured the EC that under all circumstances, once it has laid down the procedures, the BJP will adhere to the norms faithfully,” he said adding that his party would provide masks to its supporters and workers at public meetings to prevent spread of the disease.
While polling for 135 constituencies have already been held elections to remaining 159 seats are yet to be held in five phases that will begin on Saturday.
Dwelling on the issue the BJP leadership said the right accorded to 61 per cent of the State's candidates should be given to the remaining 39 per cent, urging the ECI to go ahead with the remaining three rounds of voting post Saturday.
The leadership also said that “Elections held recently do not reveal any trend by which rise in Covid cases can be attributed to democratic process.”
Earlier demanding clubbing of the remaining phases the Chief Minister had said “amid an ongoing pandemic, we firmly opposed (the Election Commission's) decision to conduct the Bengal polls in eight phases. Now, in view of the huge surge in COVID19 cases, I urge the ECI to consider holding the remaining phases in ONE go. This will protect the people from further exposure to COVID19.”
While the Left said that it would stop big rallies and road shows and concentrate on small meetings maintaining corona protocol Pradesh Congress president leader Adhir Chowdhury said he would not mind if the polling was stopped for the time being.