Was the coronavirus pandemic an issue in Bengal elections?
The COVID-19 pandemic, and the response from both the state and centre, has been missing from the political rhetoric from either side. Part of the reason is that the official figures peg the total cases in the state at a little over 800,000 and the deaths at over 11,000. However, there is no dearth of anecdotes on how the data from the state, too, may be under-reported just like in other states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
Both TMC and BJP have been negligent, to say the least, in recent months as they went about holding political rallies where the guidelines like social distancing and wearing masks were all but ignored. The cases have seen significant increase in both infections and fatality.