New Delhi: The Trinamool congress chairperson, Mamata Banerjee is set to contest the by-election to the Bhabanipur Assembly seat in West Bengal on September 30, according to the schedule announced by the Election Commission of India on Saturday.
The poll body has announced that the votes will be counted on October 3. The EC has also allowed the by-poll dates of the other two seats in Bengal (Samsarganj) and Pipli in Odisha (Jangipur).
However, by-elections for 31 other constituencies, including Maharashtra, Telangana and some north-eastern states, were postponed due to the severe covid spread.
"... In view of the constitutional requirement and special request from the State of West Bengal, it has been decided to hold by-poll for AC 159 - Bhabanipur by-election. -19. The Commission has maintained a comprehensive warning to protect against more stringent standards from Covid-19", said the top poll body.
The Election Commission has decided not to conduct by-elections in the other 31 Assembly constituencies and 3 Parliamentary constituencies after considering the views and opinions of the Chief Secretaries and the Chief Electoral Officers of the respective states.
Covid cases in Bengal (and other poll-bound states) spiked during campaigning and voting earlier this year; in Bengal daily new cases reached a peak of over 20,000 in mid-May. However, as of this morning, the seven-day average of daily new cases is below 640.
The Bengal government has insisted to conduct by-elections in the state, submitting that the pandemic is under control in the state.
Earlier in June, Ms Banerjee criticised Narendra Modi at the by-elections, "... when the Prime Minister gives instructions, the Election Commission will act ..."
The BJP condemned the state government's attempt for immediate by-elections; the state BJP president Dilip Ghosh asked Ms Banerjee, "Why in such a haste?"
Banerjee's Trinamool Congress had a vigorous success by achieving 213 seats of the 294 seats in the Bengal Assembly held in the April-May elections, losing her individual contest.
Ms Banerjee's Trinamool Congress claimed an emphatic victory in the April-May election, winning 213 of a total of 294 seats in the Bengal Assembly, but she lost her individual contest.
The Chief Minister has left her stronghold of Bhabanipur to contest from Nandigram expecting to trounce a high-profile clash with former BJP lieutenant Suvendu Adhikari. she got defeated by less than 2,000 votes after an incredibly tough and controversial contest.