Too little, too late
It has taken the Election Commission of India (ECI) a whole month after campaigning began in West Bengal to ‘note with anguish’ that many political parties/candidates are still not adhering to the prescribed Covid safety norms during public gatherings. The blatant flouting of the pandemic protocols was all too evident at the congregations organised by the Trinamool Congress (TMC), the BJP and other parties over the past four weeks, but the ECI didn’t bother to do the needful early enough. Now, with only two phases of polling left, it has finally banned roadshows, padayatras and vehicle rallies in the state. Clubbing the last three phases of the eight-phase election exercise, a demand raised by the TMC, would have made sense in view of the worsening Covid situation and several incidents of violence, particularly the firing that claimed four lives in Cooch Behar on April 10. However, the ECI preferred to go by the rule book rather than the circumstances prevailing on the ground.
West Bengal’s daily caseload has been rising relentlessly — from 1,274 on April 1 to 6,769 on April 15 and 11,948 on April 22 — but political leaders have had no scruples about exposing large crowds to the virus. At long last, it has dawned on them to cancel their rallies and reach out to the people virtually — a classic case of shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted.
Amid the irresponsible behaviour of certain elected representatives, the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in Odisha has taken a welcome step in public interest at the right time. Party president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has announced that the BJD will not hold public rallies or campaign meetings ahead of the Pipili Assembly byelection on May 13 in the wake of the exponential rise in Covid-19 cases in the state. He has also appealed to political parties and the ECI to reconsider both the duration and the method of campaigning in the context of the worrisome situation. One hopes that Patnaik’s firm stand would pave the way for a show of sanity, not strength, at the hustings.
