TMC got 67 notices, BJP 59 for violations: Data
OVER 100 FIRS HAVE BEEN FILED FOR BREACH OF COVID NORMS DURING POLL SEASON, SAY OFFICIALS
NEW DELHI: The bitterly fought West Bengal assembly elections, which came to a close on April 29, recorded a cancellation of 448 public events and rallies, while the Election Commission sent maximum number of notices for violation of Covid-19 protocols to the Trinamool Congress (TMC), officials familiar with the matter said on Saturday.
According to the EC data, seen by HT, of the 178 notices issued to political parties, 67 were sent to the TMC, followed by 59 to the Bharatiya Janata Party. Notices were also issued to the Indian National Congress, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen and the Rashtriya Secular Majlis Party, it added.
According to the officials, over a 100 FIRs have also been registered for Covid norms’ violations during poll events in West Bengal since April 21. Of these, at least 40 have been registered against the TMC and 30 against the BJP, including one against party’s star campaigner Mithun Chakravarty for a public meeting in Malda on April 25.
On April 22, the EC placed an immediate ban on road shows, ‘pad yatras’ and vehicle rallies in the West Bengal and said public meetings having more than 500 people would not be allowed.
The decision came at a time when the ECI has been facing criticism from health experts and the judiciary for rampant violations of Covid-19 protocols during election campaigns across the four states and one Union territory and the 34-daylong election season, especially in Bengal, even as the country battles an unrelenting second wave of the viral disease.
On Friday, India’s single-day infections crossed 380,000.
The results for all five assembly elections -- held in Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry and West Bengal -- will be declared on Sunday.
On Tuesday, the EC banned all victory processions from political parties during or after the declaration of election results. The decision came a day after the Madras high court held the EC accountable and said the poll body was responsible for the second Covid-19 wave.