Kolkata: With civic elections round the corner, leaders unperturbed

“We are public representatives and we have to stand by the people,” he told The Indian Express. “Every day we meet hundreds of people. Now, due to the coronavirus outbreak we cannot stop them from coming to our party offices and other programmes. So, I have started washing my hands frequently. That’s the only thing new in my routine. Rest, I leave it to the almighty.”

With the civic body elections scheduled to be held across the state in April-May, more political rallies and public meetings are likely to be held and campaigning is likely to go on an overdrive.

“It is not possible to deprive poor people who come to us for various reasons,” said state minister and TMC leader Arup Roy. “We cannot turn them down but educate them about measures to combat the disease. We, on the other hand, are taking certain precautions like washing our hands as many times as possible, and carry sanitisers with us.”

Senior CPM leader Mohammad Salim said he was consuming more Vitamin-C to strengthen his immunity, and avoid infection.

“Political leaders should not be concerned about themselves,” he told The Indian Express. “They must show the path to others. We cannot afford to stay inside our houses and stop public contact. People here are talking precautions, and they should not panic. The public healthcare system must be robust enough to control the situation.”

However, political analyst Biswanath Chakraborty said all the political parties and the Election Commission should review whether the civic elections should be held in the current circumstances. “If we take steps to control mass gathering in sporting activities and cultural programmes then there is a need to review whether upcoming civic polls should be held as scheduled under the present circumstances,” he added.

“During elections, mass gatherings are a common phenomenon and the risk of contracting the disease is even higher. Polling officials need to take training for the election and they are sent across the state to conduct the polls. Therefore, it is important to hold discussions in this regard.”

A senior Congress leader said all the parties should follow some protocol governing public rallies and meetings.

“We cannot ask people not to attend mass gatherings and yet continue with our official programmes,” the politican added. “The state government’s official programmes need to get postponed as a large number of people attend them. The government must formulate some protocol in terms of organising big political events, which should be followed by all.”