Motorists may not get any immediate relief from the high petrol and diesel prices as the finance ministry does not favour a cut in excise duty on fuel. However, sources indicated that any cut in duty and its timing would be a political decision and could happen before the Bengal assembly polls.

Sources expect any cut to be closer to the poll date announcement so that it does not violate the model code of conduct.

The tenure of the current assembly ends on May 30 and the Election Commission would have to consider several factors, including school examinations while scheduling the number of phases and dates.

The oil ministry had pitched for cuts in duties. However, they had added that the finance ministry would have to take a call given its fiscal and inflationary impact.

As excise duty is one of the two major components of the price of fuel, moderation in the duty will provide some relief to people who are facing the heat of economic slowdown and income disruption due to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the survey conducted by Local Circles, a community social media platform.

After the festive season, retail fuel prices saw an upward trend at the end of November 2020 and starting December 6, 2020, there was a month-long pause on fuel prices. Even though retail prices are connected to international prices and are calculated on a 15 days lag, starting January 6 the retail prices began to increase across India.