Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Kumar Chandra, who had tested positive for COVID-19, has completed his mandatory 14-day quarantine and isolation period and is conducting all requisite duties, including meetings with political party delegations and officers, through the virtual mode.
Chandra was already infected with COVID-19 when his predecessor, Sunil Arora, demitted office on April 12, and was conducting his work, which included joining the commission meetings, through the online mode.
Meanwhile, Election Commissioner Rajeev Kumar is also learnt to have tested positive for COVID-19. The EC currently has two commissioners following the retirement of Arora.
According to a senior EC official, the two commissioners have been constantly working on virtual mode despite personal discomfort. The Election Commission emphasised its work was continuing in “normal way without any interruptions”. All requisite duties including meetings with political party delegations and meetings with all officers for review of situations are being done in virtual mode.
The Election Commission stated the two senior officials are not letting their ailment affect their work, which, at present, involves carrying out Assembly elections in politically volatile West Bengal.
The Election Commission on Sunday imposed a 24-hour campaign ban on Sujata Mondal of TMC and Sayantan Basu of BJP for violating the Model Code of Conduct.
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The Trinamool Congress had been appealing to the Election Commission to club the remaining three phases of the Assembly polls into one or two days given the COVID-19 situation. The poll body had declined to do so, saying it was not feasible at this juncture since the notifications for the various phases had already been issued, and the process of election was well under way. However, the Election Commission has curtailed the campaigning time to 7pm, and has enhanced the silence period before the date of polling from 48 hours to 72 hours.
(With inputs from Soni Mishra)
