TMC delegation meets EC, asks for early bypolls in West Bengal

NEW DELHI: A Trinamool Congress parliamentary party delegation, comprising six MPs, met the Election Commission here on Thursday, demanding that the bypolls in seven vacant assembly seats in West Bengal be held at the earliest.
In a memorandum submitted to the poll panel, the party stated that with the decreasing number of coronavirus cases in the state, conditions are conducive for conducting the bypolls with Covid- appropriate protocol in place.
“The number of Covid-19 cases is at least 17 times lower now ... There has been a steady decline in the number of daily cases recorded,” it said. “Hence, it is conducive to hold the bypolls to the aforementioned constituencies at this time. Going by the steady decline, it is expected that by the time the byelections are announced and conducted, the number of daily cases will decrease further. During this time, appropriate Covid safety norms as may be prescribed by the Election Commission of India (ECI), may be adopted during campaigning,” TMC said.