“Lok Sabha Dates in Ramzan to Ensure Minorities Unable to Cast Votes”

“Lok Sabha Dates in Ramzan to Ensure Minorities Unable to Cast Votes”

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The Holy month Ramzan is beginning from May 6 and the elections for fifth, sixth and seventh phase will be held on May 6, May 12 and May 19 respectively.

  

WEB DESK

Several political leaders have raised question over Election Commission decision to hold elections in the holy month of Ramazan that too for three phases in the same month.

The Holy month Ramzan is beginning from May 6 and the elections for fifth, sixth and seventh phase will be held on May 6, May 12 and May 19 respectively.

Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader and Kolkata Municipal Corporation Mayor Firhad Hakim said, “People will face problems in exercising their voting rights as some poll dates are clashing with Ramzan. Since the Election Commission is a constitutional body, I don’t want to comment much in to the matter. But they should have considered that people will suffer during Ramzan (in casting votes).”

He said, “EC has announced the poll dates on Ramzan so that minorities are unable to cast their votes. But I would like to tell them (the BJP) that the people of Bengal are with (Trinamool chief) Mamata Banerjee.”

This is not the first time that the Trinamool Congress is raising the issue of Ramzan.

During the last panchayat election, party leaders led by minister Partha Chatterjee met West Bengal election commissioner AK Singh and requested him to conclude the rural polls before the month of fasting for the minority community begins.

West Bengal Congress president Somendra Nath Mitra also said the poll panel should consider the matter.

“We have a large number of Muslim voters and the EC should consider the poll dates as per the Ramzan observance,” Mitra said.

Delhi AAP MLA Amanatullah has also raised question over dates of elections in Ramazan. He said it is a ploy to debar Muslim from their fundamental right of casting their votes.