The Election Commission banned roadshows, vehicle rallies in West Bengal on 22 April. According to the Commission, now more than 500 people will not be able to attend the public meeting. The Commission said that political parties and candidates are still not following ‘security rules’ during the election campaign.
The Election Commission said that permission given for such programs is withdrawn.
The order said that the Commission is not happy, that the parties and candidates are not following the Covid protocol. The Commission said that by doing this, they are making it difficult for the Electoral Machinery of the state and district to implement the instructions of the Commission.
The Commission’s order came after a hearing by the Calcutta High Court in which the Election Commission was not doing everything to ensure that political parties follow the Covid protocol amid the second wave of Corona transition.
What did the court say?
A bench of Chief Justice Thottathil B. Radhakrishnan and Justice Arijit Banerjee had said, “We are unable to accept that the Election Commission is not able to tell us what action has been taken through the implementation of the circular.”
The court had said that the Election Commission cannot fulfill its responsibility only by issuing circulars and sitting.
In West Bengal, till the evening of 22 April, 11,948 new Corona cases were registered in 24 hours. The number of active cases in the state has reached 68,798. 56 people died in one day.
