Kolkata, Jan 15: In wake of rising COVID-19 cases in West Bengal, the state Election Commission on Saturday postponed polls to four municipal corporations by three weeks.
According to a notification issued by the SEC, polls to Siliguri Municipal Corporation, Chandernagore Municipal Corporation, Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation, and Asansol Municipal Corporation would now be held in February 12 instead of January 22. Polling will be held from 7 am to 5 pm, said the notification.
Earlier in the day, the state government had written to the SEC, giving its consent to reschedule the election dates, owing to the present pandemic situation. The Calcutta High Court had also asked the commission to explore the possibility of postponing the civic polls by four to six weeks in view of the surge in cases.
On Friday, the West Bengal BJP had also written to the requesting to postpone the municipality elections for a month.
Elections are pending in another 119 municipal bodies across the state for more than a year, and are likely to be held in February 2022.
Last month, Trinamool Congress (TMC) swept the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) polls by winning 134 out of 144 wards. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) finished second with three seats. The Congress and the Left won two wards each.
