A day after approaching the state election commission (SEC) demanding postponement of the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation (GMC) elections, the Gujarat Congress on Friday wrote to the Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court demanding intervention in this regard owing to the “abnormal situation” amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
In the letter, Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) interim president Amit Chavda wrote, “Abnormal situations require abnormal solutions. Similarly, under the present unprecedented circumstances of alarming surge of coronavirus infection in the state of Gujarat, I pray to you to intervene in postponing the GMC elections (sic).”
Both Gujarat Congress and AAP Gujarat had approached the SEC to postpone the GMC polls that are scheduled to be held on April 18 even as the BJP has made no such move.
In the letter, Chavda adds, “We have already made representations and demand to postpone GMC elections before the SEC and other political parties too have made similar demands but due to explicable reasons or due to pressure from their political bosses or with some political agenda in their mind, the SEC is not considering this. Therefore, I request you to intervene, considering larger public interest and direct the state government to postpone the GMC elections (sic).”
Meanwhile, AAP Gujarat unit chief Gopal Italia also held a press conference on Friday in Gandhinagar. He said, “The BJP believes that if the polls are held during the pandemic, the polling percentage will be low and they will win. We again put forth our demand to the SEC and the state government to postpone the polls for three months. If it’s not possible, AAP Gujarat will do digital campaign and use social media but we will not give an easy victory to the BJP.”