While the nation is grappling with serious impacts of the second wave of the Covid19 and citizens are dealing with the Oxygen deficiency across hospital facilities in Delhi & Uttar Pradesh, some other developments are missing the spotlight of a larger section of media. These developments are in the context of West Bengal election, regarding the staff who organize the elections and the police who are in the security detail.

In the middle of the second wave of the pandemic, West Bengal is into an eight-phase election. Seven phases of the election in West Bengal are over and the state is now looking forward to the final eighth phase scheduled for tomorrow.

For the election, officials across various levels from Group A, B & C, have been deployed from various government organizations to organize the election. Numerous contract drivers were also hired for the election duty. Many of such staff who had been involved in organizing the polls have complained that the money required by them for their expenses to stay in and around the polling stations have not yet reached their account. The allocated amount of 170 Rupees, for Food expenses, was assigned per head for the government staff deputed for election duty.

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Many complained that the amount was not credited into their account and that they had to manage the expenses themselves. A retired government official who had worked in earlier elections & currently staying in Kolkata, on the condition of anonymity, stated that such discrepancy from election commission was unheard of prior to 2014. After the seventh phase, many contract drivers who were working in the election, & were to receive their due money protested in front of the election commission office in North Kolkata.

In a parallel story, GRP officials who have returned from election duty are needed to report for Covid testing, as per an announcement made by the Sealdah Railway police district. This order is being passed so that the spread of infection among the railway officials and police officials can be detected, monitored, and contained.

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It has been observed that the police officials who were deputed for the seventh phase of election were mostly unable to implement steps for protection against Covid19 during the polling. The police officials are returning from their posting in the seventh phase polling and the possible spread of virus is a concern among the police officials. Therefore, this notification was brought out.