Bengal civic polls deferred amid coronavirus scare: SEC

Civic polls in West Bengal,

including for the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), have been postponed "for the time being" in the wake of the novel coronavirus outbreak, a senior official said on Monday.

The decision was taken at an all-party meeting called to decide the dates for the elections, State Election Commissioner Sourav Das said.

"We have decided to defer the civic polls for the time being because of the coronavirus outbreak. We will again hold a meeting to take a call on the matter after 15 days," he said.

The ruling TMC had appealed to the SEC on Sunday to defer the polls, a demand that also had the backing of opposition parties.

 

Elections to 107 municipal bodies of the state and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation are being viewed as a litmus test for the TMC and the BJP, a year ahead of the crucial Assembly polls.