The West Bengal State Election Commission (WBSEC) announced that elections to 108 municipalities in the state will be held on February 27. The date of results is yet to be announced by the WBSEC.
"The date of counting of votes for 108 municipalities will be decided later," said West Bengal State Election Commissioner Sourav Das to ANI on Thursday. The decision was taken after consulting all district magistrates and Superintendents of Police of West Bengal.
The Election Commission held an all-party meeting on Wednesday to discuss the dates of the municipal elections. While Congress wanted the elections to be postponed further in view of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) said that it would oblige with the decision of the WBSEC.
BJP and the Left, on the other hand, demanded that the counting of results must take place on the polling day itself.
Elections in Siliguri, Bidhannagar, Chandannagar, and Asansol municipalities were postponed due to the Covid-19 surge. These elections were scheduled for January 22.
The Election Commission had issued guidelines for the upcoming polls in view of rising Covid-19 cases. According to the rules, not more than 200 people are allowed to gather at a political rally. For door-to-door campaigning, EC allows only five members to be present aprt from the candidate and security personnel.