It’s the assembly elections season in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and the Union Territory of Puducherry. While polling happened in a single phase in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry on April 6, voters in Assam cast their votes in three phases. Polling in Bengal is taking place in eight phases, amid tight security and a rampaging

Election Commission asks West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer to keep Anubrata Mondal, Birbhum TMC president, under 'strict surveillance of executive magistrate and CAPF, round the clock for 5 pm of April 27 till 7 am of April 30 for ensuring free and fair elections, reports news agency ANI.

Campaigning for the eighth and final phase of polling for 35 assembly constituencies in West Bengal ended on April 26. The polling, scheduled to be held on April 29, will be held between 7 am to 6.30 pm. The focus in this phase of polling will be on five assembly constituencies in Kolkata north -- Beleghata, Jorsanko, Shyampukur, Maniktala, Kashipur-Belgachia -- as neck and neck contest is expected between TMC heavyweights and BJP challengers. In Shyampukur seat, state minister for Women and Child Development and Social Welfare Shashi Panja is contesting against BJP's Sandipan Biswas and AIFB's Jiban Prakash Saha. In Beleghata, TMC has fielded Paresh Paul against BJP's Kashinath Biswas and CPI-M's Rajib Biswas. In Jorasnko, BJP has named Meena Devi Purohit against TMC's Vivek Gupta and Congress' Ajmal Khan. The TMC has named Atin Ghosh in Kashipur-Belgachia against BJP candidate Sibaji Sinha Roy and CPI(M)'s Pratip Dasgupta. A close contest is also expected in Maniktala assembly seat where state Consumer Affairs Minister TMC veteran Sadhan Pandey will fight former India footballer and BJP candidate Kalyan Chaubey and CPI(M)'s Rupa Bagchi. (PTI)

A plea was moved in the Delhi High Court on Tuesday seeking directions to the EC to take action like imposing penalty and lodging FIRs against "star campaigners" and leaders of all political parties for allegedly violating COVID-19 norms during the assembly polls in West Bengal. The application by Vikram Singh, the former DGP of Uttar Pradesh and also the chairman of think tank Centre for Accountability and Systemic Change (CASC), has also sought directions to the Centre and the Election Commission to "ensure compulsory home quarantine of persons who campaigned in the last one week of in West Bengal".

After the Madras High Court observed that the Election Commission must be held "singularly" responsible for the second wave of coronavirus in the country, sources told news agency PTI that the poll panel has trodden with caution all along to ensure COVID-19-free polls, first in Bihar and then in four states and a union territory. They said while enforcing the Disaster Management Act to ensure COVID-19-appropriate behaviour is the responsibility of the State Disaster Management Authority, the Commission invoked its constitutional powers to place curbs on campaigning in West Bengal to reduce exposure of people to the virus. "We were ahead of the curve in ensuring safety of voters and personnel in the pandemic," a functionary said. They said that after the successful conduct of the Bihar assembly elections in November 2020 involving 73 million voters at 1,06,000 polling booths, there was widespread appreciation of strength and capability of the constitutional authority.

BJP president J P Nadda today welcomed the Election Commission's order banning victory processions during and after counting of votes in states where assembly polls have been held. "I welcome the decision of the ECI banning celebrations and processions of electoral victories. I have directed all state units of BJP to strictly adhere to this decision. All karykartas of BJP are using their energies to help the ones in need in this hour of crisis," Nadda said in a tweet.

A day ahead of the Election Commission of India banned all victory procession on or after counting of votes, the Madras High Court came down hard on the poll body for allowing political rallies as the coronavirus raged and said it was solely responsible for the second wave of COVID-19 in India. A bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy reprimanded ECI for failing to ensure that COVID-19 norms were followed during poll campaigning.

BJP president JP Nadda yesterday said holding polls is a "constitutional obligation that the Election Commission has to fulfil", hours after the Madras High Court criticised the panel for not doing enough to stop political parties from flouting COVID-19 protocols. The BJP has observed all health protocols and guidelines of the Election Commission, Nadda said, addressing a press conference in Kolkata to mark the end of campaigning for the eight-phase Bengal elections.

The Election Commission of India has ordered to ban all victory processions on or after counting of votes in states where assembly polls were held, reported news agency PTI citing sources. The decision has been taken to check the spread of coronavirus, the sources said. The counting of votes will be held in Assam, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala and Puducherry on May 2. Sources in the poll panel said an exhaustive order is being issued in this regard.