WB Civic Polls Deferred Amid Surge In Covid-19 Cases

The civic polls to the bodies of Bidhannagar, Siliguri, Asansol, and Chandannagar that were scheduled to be held on January 22 have been postponed in light of the rising Covid-19 cases.

Amid a surge in cases of Covid-19 nationwide as well as in the state, the elections to four civic bodies in West Bengal were deferred by three weeks to February 12, the State Election Commission (SEC) said in a freshly released notification on Saturday.

The civic polls to the bodies of Bidhannagar, Siliguri, Asansol, and Chandannagar that were scheduled to be held on January 22 have been postponed in light of the rising Covid-19 cases.

The SEC issued the notification rescheduling the date right after the state government told the Calcutta High Court that it had no problem with the rescheduling of the polls in view of the Covid-19 situation in the state.

The counting date has reportedly been fixed for February 15. Notably, both BJP and Trinamool Congress wrote to the SEC on Friday to propose a deferment of the civic polls.

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