Can club two phases if forces boosted, EC told
Poll observers stationed in West Bengal by the Election Commission of India (ECI) have indicated to the poll watchdog that the last two phases of the ongoing assembly elections, scheduled on April 26 and 29, could be merged if extra security forces are provided, a senior election official aware of developments on Tuesday.
The observers -- Ajay Nayak and Vivek Dube -- wrote a letter to ECI late last week but the poll panel is yet to respond to their suggestions, said the person cited above on condition of anonymity. The sixth round of the eight-phase polls, comprising 43 seats, is scheduled for April 22.
“At the moment, there are 1,000 companies that are stationed in Bengal. The next phase is too close so nothing can be done about that. However, because the ECI is aware of the seriousness of the Covid situation, the observers suggested merging the last two phases but added that 500 additional companies of forces will be needed,’’ said the person, who has seen the letter.
Each company of paramilitary force has 80 personnel.
The official added that the letter mentioned that at least 25 people were infected in the office of the Bengal chief electoral officer and that two candidates had died after testing positive.
“That re-poll will be held on May 13 or May 14 post the election results in the state,’’ said the EC official.
An ECI spokesperson said on Tuesday that there was no proposal to merge the last two phases of the election. Last week, ECI officials told an all-party meeting in Bengal that there was no proposal to merge phases in the elections.
When asked about the observers’ letter to ECI, a second senior EC official said the poll panel was unlikely to accept the observers’ recommendation for two reasons. “The extra forces is just one part of it. They are posted across the country, and sending them to Bengal needs advance notice and that would be ideally three to four months earlier,” said the second official on condition of anonymity. He also added that the changes in Phase 6 and 7 couldn’t be enacted because it would violate the candidates’ right under the Representation of the People’s
Act 1951. “If required, we can make the Covid provisions even stricter, between 26th and 29th; due to our extra silence hours, there would hardly be left any campaigning time,” said the second official.
The development comes as Bengal is logging rising infections.
The state has announced an increase in hospital beds, and slashed office occupancy to 50% but not announced a lockdown. The last two phases of elections comprise 71 seats. On Tuesday, the state reported 9,819 cases and 46 deaths.
To control rising cases, the commission extended the silent period for campaigning from 48 to 72 hours, banned public meetings and road shows between 7pm and 10am and threatened penal provisions against any political party or candidate found violating Covid-19 protocol at public events.
TMC MP Derek O’Brien said the party reiterated their demand in a letter to ECI on Tuesday.
“EC had called for an all party meeting and we have given our opinion on the matter. We will respond to EC if they again seek our opinion,” said Amit Malvita, head of BJP IT cell.