West Bengal Elections Highlights: Suggestion to club the phases 6, 7 and 8 is not feasible, EC tells TMC

TMC supremo and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee will hold three rallies today at Balurghat, Harirampur, and Harishchandrapur, starting at 11 am, 12 pm, and 1 pm, respectively. Meanwhile, the TMC has asked the Election Commission to club the remaining three phases of polling scheduled for April 22, April 26, and April 29 together amid a surge in Covid-19 cases.

Rahul anyway had no rally scheduled in West Bengal next: Vijayvargiya

Senior BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya on Wednesday targeted Rahul Gandhi over his recent announcement of cancelling poll rallies in WestBengalin view of the surge in COVID-19 cases, and claimed that the Congress leader was not scheduled to address any further public meetings in the poll-bound state anyway.

Vijayvargiya is BJP's general secretary in-charge of WestBengal.

"Gandhi said that he (in view of COVID-19 crisis) will not address any poll meeting in WestBengal. But he should first tell us whether he was scheduled to hold any suchelectionsprogrammes in the state after that?" he told reporters.

"He did not have anyelectionrally scheduled in the state anyway. He was left with no work after addressing poll meetings in two districts," Vijayvargiya added.

Gandhi had started his poll campaign in WestBengalfrom North Dinajpur and Darjeeling districts by addressing rallies on April 14. He took part in theelectionsthere after polling ended for the fourth phase in the state.

Vijayvargiya also said that even if the entire Congress campaigns in WestBengalor does not do so, it will not have any impact on the poll equations in the state as this party is not in the poll race in that state.

PTI

Polling parties collect EVMs from a distribution centre in Barrackpore, North 24 Paraganas ahead of the sixth phase of West Bengal Assembly elections tomorrow

Congress names Rokia Khatun as the party candidate for the ensuing adjourned election to the West Bengal Legislative Assembly from 56-Saserganj constituency.

Suggestion to club the phases 6, 7 and 8 is not feasible. EC has already mandated detailed guidelines to ensure that safety norms are adhered to without any exceptions: EC tells TMC's Derek O Brien

Credit: PTI File Photo

Second Covid-19 wave Modi-made disaster: Mamata Banerjee

Lashing out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday alleged that the second Covid-19 wave in the country and its management is a "Modi-made disaster".

Read More

Watch Mamata Banerjee's rally in Harishchandrapur here

Poll verdict in Matua bastions crucial for BJP before CAA implementation

With citizenship for refugees having emerged as one of the poll planks of the BJP in its battle for Bengal, Matua bastions and the verdict they present this election will prove to be a test case for the party that had been weighing the pros and cons before implementing a new law enacted for the purpose.

Read More

TMC MP Derek O'Brien mocks PM Modi's address to the nation

Mamata targets PM Modi handling of the Covid-19 crisis in a series of tweets

CM Mamata's rally schedule for the day

Pandemic becomes a political weapon in West Bengal polls

The second wave of the Covid-19 infections seems to have become a political weapon for both the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the BJP in West Bengal where Assembly elections are underway.

Read More

Covid challenges, 'Bangaliana', gender among strategies in Bengal's electoral battleground

The epic electoral 'Battle for Bengal' has seen the two bitter rivals BJP and Trinamool Congress change their poll strategies deftly as they square off against each other in a gruelling, one-and-half-month-long campaign.

Read More

TMC demands curtailing West Bengal poll schedule amid rising Covid-19 cases

As the coronavirus pandemic ravages India's health infrastructure, with patients struggling to find hospital beds and basic medicines, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) hassubmitted a memorandum to the West Bengal state election commission requesting them to clubthe remaining three phases together.

Read More

Good Morning readers! Welcome to our live coverage of the West Bengal Assembly elections!