Civic polls in West Bengal, including for the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), have been postponed 'for the time being' in the wake of the novel coronavirus outbreak, a senior official said on Monday.
The decision was taken at an all-party meeting called to decide the dates for the elections, State Election Commissioner Sourav Das said.
'We have decided to defer the civic polls for the time being because of the coronavirus outbreak. We will again hold a meeting to take a call on the matter after 15 days,' he said.
The ruling TMC had appealed to the SEC on Sunday to defer the polls, a demand that also had the backing of opposition parties. “We are all aware of the prevailing threat of COVID-19 which has also been declared a pandemic by WHO. The West Bengal state government has issued advisories and implemented several measures with regard to precautions citizens need to take to ensure their safety,” Trinamul said in a statement issued on Sunday evening.
“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,” it added.
“Elections come and go. Politics must take a backseat when society is faced with such a threat. 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!”
The Mamata Banerjee government was keen on conducting the polls between April 12 and 26, but — sources said — in view of the current situation, the elections were unlikely to be held even in May. “There is no wisdom in pushing for the polls amid this global health scare,” a senior leader of Trinamul said.
The state BJP had already said it would ask the commission to take a pro-people decision in view of the pandemic. “Our national president J.P. Nadda has issued instructions to suspend all other activities and conduct public awareness programmes on the novel coronavirus,” a BJP state functionary said on Sunday.
The Left Front said it wouldn’t oppose any “pro-people” decision on the postponement of the elections to 100-odd civic bodies.
Elections to 107 municipal bodies of the state and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation are being viewed as a litmus test for the TMC and the BJP, a year ahead of the crucial Assembly polls.