The Trinamool Congress has written to the Election Commission, requesting that bypoll dates for seven vacant assembly seats be announced. The state’s Covid cases have been on a’steep fall,’ according to the party.
In a letter to the Election Commission, the Trinamool Congress stated that the number of Covid cases in the state has decreased dramatically, and that it is now appropriate to hold elections.
“We write on behalf of the All India Trinamool Congress (“AITC”) and in continuation of our letters dated 15 July 2021 addressed to the Election Commission of India (“ECI”) and letter 6 A merit 2021 to the Chief Electoral Officer, West Bengal for the announcement and conduct of bye-elections to fill 7 (seven) casual vacancies in the State Legislative Assembly of West Bengal,” the letter said.
The letter went on to say: “The ECI has yet to notify or declare the bye-elections for the aforementioned constituencies. Annexures “A” and “B,” dated July 15, 2021 and August 6, 2021, are attached as Annexures “A” and “B,” respectively. The ECI issued a notification on August 9, 2021, seeking recommendations/suggestions from all recognised national/state political parties on how to conduct elections/bye-elections in the event of a Covid-19 pandemic by August 30, 2021.”
According to the letter, the Trinamool Congress is in the process of submitting an indicative list of criteria for all participants in the West Bengal election process.
“There has been a dramatic fall in the number of current Covid-19 cases in West Bengal, and seven assembly constituencies are set for bye-elections,” the letter to the EC stated. In their letter, the party included a graph depicting “negligible numbers” in each of the seven constituencies.
