BJP urges state election body to postpone Kolkata & Howrah civic polls

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders in West Bengal on Thursday called on the State Election Commission (SEC) authorities to urge them to postpone the dates of civic polls in Kolkata and Howrah which are scheduled to take place in the second week of April.
BJP leaders have said that they won’t get enough time for campaigning due to the secondary and higher secondary examinations in the state scheduled prior to the polls. The West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) has banned the use of loudspeakers in residential areas and around the schools from three days before the exam. The secondary exams which started on February 18 will continue till February 27 and higher secondary exams will be held from March 12 to 27.
As the notification for the poll is likely to be out on the second week of March, the time allowed for campaigning will overlap with the ongoing exams, they feel.
While the polls are likely in Kolkata and Howrah around April 12, no final dates have so far been announced. The polls in the rest of the state will take place after that.
While leaving the SEC office, BJP leader Mukul Roy said that the commission authorities should indicate how campaigning is to be done other than through microphones. The BJP leaders threatened to move court over their various demands if the SEC didn’t agree.

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