In the wake of the Election Commission banning road shows and vehicle rallies in West Bengal, TMC chief and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee cancelled all her pre-scheduled poll meetings and election rallies in the state on Thursday.
Taking to Twitter, the chief minister said she will now reach out to people virtually.
"In the wake of upsurge in #COVID19 cases across the country and the ECI Order dated 22nd April, 2021, I am cancelling all my prescheduled meetings and we will reach out to the people virtually. We will be sharing the updated schedule of the virtual meetings shortly," she wrote.
In the wake of upsurge in #COVID19 cases across the country and the ECI Order dated 22nd April, 2021, I am cancelling all my prescheduled meetings and we will reach out to the people virtually.
— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) April 22, 2021
We will be sharing the updated schedule of the virtual meetings shortly.
Banning all road shows and rallies with immediate effect, the poll body had said no public meeting having more than 500 people would be allowed in the state. The orders has come into force from 7 pm on Thursday.
The order said the commission has noted "with anguish" that many political parties and candidates are still not adhering to the prescribed COVID-19 safety norms during the public gatherings.
Meanwhile, the state, on Thursday, registered the highest single-day spike of 11,948 COVID-19 cases, taking the tally beyond the seven-lakh mark. The death toll also went up to 10,766 as 56 more patients succumbed to the disease.
