Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on April 18 that he was suspending all his remaining public rallies as part of the Legislative Assembly elections campaign in West Bengal, in view of the second wave of COVID-19 in the country.
In a tweet, the former Congress party president also urged other political leaders to think about the consequences of holding large gatherings under the current circumstances.
“In view of the Covid situation, I am suspending all my public rallies in West Bengal. I would advise all political leaders to think deeply about the consequences of holding large public rallies under the current circumstances,” Gandhi said in a tweet.
Daily COVID-19 cases being reported in West Bengal have surged in the recent weeks. This prompted many, especially on social media, to call on political leaders from all parties to cancel large public meetings.
Bengal is heading for polls to elect a new assembly. The eight-phase election got underway in late March. Three more phases of voting are pending. The last round of polling is scheduled for April 29. Counting of votes will happen on May 2, along with Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Puducherry.
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The Election Commission had recently rejected calls from the state’s ruling Trinamool Congress to club the remaining phases in view of the spike in COVID-19 infections. However, the poll authority banned all forms of campaigning, including rallies, street plays and nukkad sabhas, between 7 pm and 10 am.
EC had also extended the silence period for campaigning from 48 hours to 72 hours before the voting day for the phases on April 22, 26 and 29 in view of “the unprecedented public health situation”.
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