Bengal polls: EC curtails poll campaign time, extends silence period

Amid a rise in the number of COVID-19 cases in West Bengal, the Election Commission (EC) on Friday curtailed the timing of the poll campaign up to 7 PM. The poll body has banned rallies, public meetings from 7 pm to 10 am beginning Friday. The EC has also extended the silence period from 48 hours to 72 hours in each of the remaining three phases in West Bengal.

West Bengal on Thursday recorded the highest single-day spike of 6,769 COVID-19 cases and 22 deaths, the state health department said.