Urge EC with folded hands to curtail poll schedule amid COVID-19 surge Mamata

    Chakulia (WB), Apr 19 (PTI) West Bengal Chief Minister
Mamata Banerjee on Monday urged the Election Commission to
re-consider its decision to stick to the original poll
schedule, as she stressed that wrapping up the last three
phases of polls on a single day or at least in two days would
check the spread of COVID-19 to a certain extent.
    Indicating that the EC may have decided against
clubbing the remaining phases at the behest of the BJP,
Banerjee, while addressing her rally here in Uttar Dinajpur,
requested the poll panel to prioritise public health.
    "With folded hands, I request the EC to hold the next
three phases on a single day. If not one day, conduct it in
two days and save one day.
    "Please don't take your decision based on what the BJP
says... Please ensure that you protect public health by
curtailing the poll schedule, even if it is by one day," the
TMC supremo said.
    The CM further said that she and other leaders of her
party would not hold any rally in congested areas.
    Banerjee lambasted the Narendra Modi government for
"not taking adequate measures in the past six months to avert
vaccine crisis".
    Calling the BJP a party of "rioters and war mongers",
she told people gathered at the rally, "Don't allow them
(saffron party leaders) to turn Bengal into Gujarat." PTI SUS
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(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)