West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee will not campaign in Kolkata anymore, says TMC leader Derek O'Brien

File Photo (Credits: PTI)

New Delhi: West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee will not campaign in Kolkata anymore, announced All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Derek O’Brien on his official Twitter handle on Sunday (April 18) night.

The TMC leader has taken this decision in the view of rising COVID-19 infections in the state. The TMC leaders also added that the West Bengal CM will only hold one ‘symbolic’ meeting on the last day of campaigning in the city, which is April 26.

The TMC leader, Derek O’Brien also added that Mamata Banerjee’s rallies in other parts of the states will not be longer than 30 minutes.

Mamata Banerjee will NOT campaign in Kolkata anymore. Only one ‘symbolic’ meeting on the last day of campaigning in the city on April 26.
Slashes time for all her election rallies in all districts. Restricted to just 30 minutes. #BengalElection2021 #Covid — Derek O'Brien | ডেরেক ও'ব্রায়েন (@derekobrienmp) April 18, 2021

This announcement from the TMC was made hours after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s statement that he had suspended all his scheduled poll rallies in West Bengal on account of the surge in COVID-19 cases.

Earlier, on Thursday, TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee had appealed to the Election Commission to conduct the remaining three phases in one go to "protect people from further exposure to COVID-19".

Meanwhile, the remaining phases of the West Bengal assembly election are to be held on April 22, April 26 and April 29 respectively. 

The COVID-19 caseload of West Bengal soared to 6,59,927 as the state registered its highest single-day spike of 8,419 fresh infections on Sunday (April 18), the health bulletin revealed.