UPDATED: April 26, 2021 14:45 IST
Large crowds were witnessed at the election rallies, with social distancing going for a toss (File)
As West Bengal grapples with shortage of beds and oxygen due to a steep rise in Covid-19 cases, netizens shared private phone numbers of top TMC and BJP leaders on social media for people to reach out to them in distress.
The message accompanying the phone numbers takes a subtle dig at the politicians, who have been gung-ho in campaigning for the assembly elections despite the overwhelming Covid-19 cases in India.
The message doing the rounds on social media says, Why fear coronavirus? There are politicians who are restless to help people in troubling times. Call these politicians immediately for masks, sanitizers, blood, oxygen and ambulance services.
Bengal heads for penultimate phase of polling
By IANS |
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Kolkata: People waiting for casting their votes at Bhatpara constituency in North 24 Pargana in West Bengal On Thursday, 22 april, 2021.(photo:IANS). Image Source: IANS News
Kolkata, April 25 : West Bengal is going for the last but one round of polling of the eight-phase elections on Monday where 34 Assembly constituencies spread across five districts are going for polls.
Of the 34 constituencies 9 Assembly constituencies each are in Murshidabad and West Burdwan, 6 each in South Dinajpur and Malda and 4 in Kolkata.
In this seventh phase 268 candidates from different political parties are in the fray of which 37 candidates are female.
Bengal heads for penultimate phase of polling indiatimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from indiatimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The rage is directed against “political leaders who come from Delhi on chartered flights and speak of hatred and polarisation every day” and hyper-nationalist TV anchors.
However, a walk through Zakaria Street suggests an overarching belief in the secular fabric of Bengal, overshadowing all other emotions.
Muhammed Samir and Muhammed Tahsin, brothers who trade in stones, own a small shop on the road. Bengali astrologers form the bulk of their clientele.
“If a Hindu customer drops in during iftar, he joins us in sharing the meal. This is not new. Our father did the same thing during his time. We have been raised in this tradition of inclusiveness. During my youth, I used to go pandal-hopping every Durga Puja,” said Samir, 47.
by Jaideep Mazumdar - Apr 24, 2021 01:22 PM
West Bengal elections 2021
Snapshot
Created in 2011 by the Delimitation Commission, Chanchal has elected the Congressâ Asif Mehbub for the last two terms (2011 and 2016).
But Muslim alienation â owing to step-motherly treatment of the area by Trinamool and its selection of a Hindu candidate, is happening alongside a Hindu consolidation, which may work in favour of the BJP.
If one goes by conventional political wisdom, the BJP has no chance of winning Chanchal, an overwhelmingly rural Muslim-dominated Assembly constituency in the Muslim-majority Malda district of Bengal.
Nearly 66 per cent of the 2.37 lakh strong electorate of Chanchal are Muslims, and most of them are of Bangladeshi origin.