Mamata to campaign virtually for last phases

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee cancelled all physical events for the remainder of the West Bengal poll campaign even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to address audiences in the state virtually on Friday.

The announcement came hours after the Election Commission of India banned cycle or motorbike rallies, padyatras and limited public events to 500 people for the remaining two phases of the elections, saying political parties had flouted Covid norms despite an alarming spike in infections. ECI said social distancing norms have to be maintained at public events. The order came into force at 7 pm. There are roughly four days of campaigning left in the eightphase polls, which end on April 29. Before the order was issued, Modi had cancelled the four rallies he was to address in Bengal on Friday. “Tomorrow, will be chairing high-level meetings to review the prevailing COVID-19 situation. Due to that, I would not be going to West Bengal,” Modi tweeted at 5.24 pm. He was supposed to address a rally at the Shahid Minar grounds in the heart of Kolkata.

At 9.15 pm, Banerjee tweeted, “In the wake of upsurge in #COVID19 cases across the country and the ECI Order dated 22nd April, 2021, I am cancelling all my prescheduled meetings and we will reach out to the people virtually. We will be sharing the updated schedule of the virtual meetings shortly.”

Her nephew and senior TMC Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee also cancelled his rallies.

Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh issued a statement saying PM would address voters virtually. “The Prime Minister has had to cancel his visit to Bengal on April 23, in which he was scheduled to address four rallies across four districts and 56 assembly constituencies…. The Prime Minister will be addressing voters of West Bengal, particularly voters of Malda, Murshidabad, Birbhum and Kolkata, through a virtual medium at 5 pm on April 23,” said Ghosh.