EC bans all roadshows, vehicle rallies in West Bengal over COVID-19 surge

The Election Commission of India on Thursday banned all roadshows and vehicle rallies in West Bengal for the remainder of its electoral phases with immediate effect in light of the surging COVID-19 cases in the state. The poll body also capped maximum attendence for public meetings in the state at 500. 

The decision came on the back of the state recording its highest single-day spike in infections on Thursday, with 11,948 new cases and 56 deaths.  

Earlier today, The Calcutta High Court expressed its dissatisfaction with the ECI over lax COVID-protocols during the ongoing West Bengal assembly election process, including campaigning.

Also Read | Karnataka logs biggest single-day spike of 25,795 COVID-19 cases

The court was hearing three PILs, which stated that people participating in campaigs were not adhereing to protocols and expressed fears that they could cause a massive spike in cases. It said that issuance of circulars and holding meetings on COVID safety were not enough and sought an affidavit by Friday on steps taken to enforce the norms.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called off his rallies in the state scheduled for Friday, saying he will instead chair high-level meetings over the COVID-19 situation in the country.

The Prime Minister said he will address voters, those in Malda, Murshidabad, Birbhum and Kolkata, virtually at 5 pm. He was scheduled to address four public meetings across four districts.