Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his help for the Bengal government to procure Covid-19 vaccines so that everyone in the state can be inoculated free of cost before the Assembly polls.

“Government of West Bengal has decided to procure adequate number of vaccines for the members of the public at large. We would request you to kindly take up the matter with appropriate authority so that state government is able to purchase the vaccines from designated point(s) on top priority basis because the West Bengal Government wants to provide vaccine free of cost to all the people,” the chief minister wrote.

In her letter, Mamata said as the Assembly polls would be held soon, her government wanted a rapid vaccination programme — with the cost borne by Bengal — for all people.

“However, the worrying point is that, in the ensuring elections, the people in general will be forced to go to the polling stations without any vaccine coverage. We feel that it is equally important to reach out to them with a rapid vaccination programme immediately,” her letter read.

So far, about 3 lakh health workers, Asha (Accredited Social Health Activists) workers and doctors were administered jabs in the state. Another 2 lakh frontline workers, including policemen and municipal workers, are being given vaccines in the second phase.

The Bengal administration has also said all state government employees and staff of state-aided institutes like schools, colleges and panchayats will be vaccinated against the novel coronavirus as they are assigned for poll duties. The Centre had asked the state to give vaccines to all polling officials.

“The state would require more than 6 lakh polling officials this year as the number of booths have been increased to 1.01 lakh from over 78,000. So, the state decided to bring all its 8 lakh employees under the vaccination programme,” said an official.

The letter by the chief minister, sources said, appears to be a smart one ahead of the polls.

“The chief minister had made it clear to the Prime Minister during a video conference just before vaccination started that the state wanted to buy vaccines and give them free to common people. Now, the chief minister reiterated her stand to make it clear she is eager to give free vaccines to all people as she had promised,” said an official.

The letter, a bureaucrat said, assumed significance in the backdrop of the Centre’s decision to make vaccines available at some private hospitals. “The decision gives a clear hint that the Centre would not be able to give free vaccine to all. The chief minister wants to put pressure on the Centre ahead of the polls by sending the letter,” said the bureaucrat.

Trinamul insiders said Covid-19 vaccination would be a major issue in the polls as people were in panic in the backdrop of the pandemic.

“Initially, the BJP was trying to cash in on the vaccination citing that the central government has fast-tracked the process to keep people safe from the virus. But now, the chief minister has caught the BJP on the wrong foot by making it clear that Bengal wants to administer vaccine free of cost to all people, which the BJP-led Centre could not do,” said a Trinamul MLA.

Active cases plummet

Bengal on Wednesday logged 221 Covid-19 recoveries, 202 infections and three deaths, including one from Calcutta, as the drop in total active cases continued for the 121sth consecutive day since Vijaya Dashami last year.

The total of active cases, which was 37,190 on Dashami (October 26), has fallen to 3,377.

Bengal now has 2.27 per cent of the national total of active cases, with the share having reduced steadily from nearly seven per cent a couple of months ago. It is now sixth on the list of states with most active cases, having improved from third place.

The recovery rate rose for 124 consecutive days to touch 97.63 per cent. The national rate is 97.19 now.

The state’s positive confirmation rate is 6.77 per cent, having fallen steadily for 97 days. On Wednesday, the state reported 20,212 tests, taking the total past 84.83 lakh, at 94,256 tests per million people.

Of the total deaths of 10,256, 8,610 (84 per cent) were attributed to comorbidities.

Bengal’s mortality rate remained 1.78, while the national rate is 1.41 per cent.

Additional reporting by Meghdeep Bhattacharyya