TMC to meet ECI over holding bypolls at the earliest

Kolkata: A Trinamool Congress (TMC) delegation will meet the Election Commission of India (ECI) officials in Delhi on Thursday with the plea to hold the bypolls at the earliest. Sources in the TMC said the delegation will urge the ECI to give a week's time for campaigning and take measures to conduct the bypolls in quick time.

By-elections are due in seven Assembly seats in Bengal, including the two constituencies in Murshidabad — Samsherganj and Jangipur due to the death of candidates ahead of the Assembly elections. The Dinhata seat in Cooch Behar and the Santipur seat in Nadia have also fallen vacant after BJP leaders Nisith Pramanik and Jagannath Sarkar resigned as MLAs to retain their Parliament membership. The Khardah seat in North 24-Parganas is also vacant as TMC candidate Kajal Sinha passed away due to Covid-19 and was later declared the winner. Bypoll is also due in Bhowanipore seat in Kolkata after TMC minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay resigned.

The Gosaba seat in South 24-Parganas has also fallen vacant recently after the death of Jayanta Naskar on June 20. He had tested positive for Covid-19 in May but had tested negative a few days before his death.

"We all know how Bengal suffered (due to the Covid spread) when the EC organised eight-phase polling in the state. We expect that this time the EC will act sensibly and conduct the bypolls at the earliest," TMC MP Saugata Roy said.

A senior TMC leader reiterated that as bypolls need to be held within six months so it is necessary to hold this election at the earliest.

"The Covid situation in the state is more or less under control so there is no reason for not holding the bypolls," he added.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has already said that the municipal polls will be held in Bengal after the bypolls are over.