The elections to the West Bengal civic bodies, including the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), have been postponed for the time being amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, an official said on Monday.
The decision was taken at an all-party meeting called to decide the dates for the polls, State Election Commissioner Sourav Das said.
"We have decided to defer the civic polls for the time being because of the coronavirus outbreak," Das said. "We will again hold a meeting to take a call on the matter after 15 days."
"We had told the SEC that neither elections nor campaign can take place in this situation. It will be very risky," TMC leader Tapas Ray said. "So, the best thing to do is to call off the elections for the time being."
"Let's resolve to freely, fearlessly and fairly vote. Vote is as much right as duty," Dhankhar tweeted. "It is national obligation. Those who do otherwise commit great disservice to nation and Democracy. They are accountable for its failures."