Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Saturday welcomed the Election Commission’s (EC) decision to announce by-polls in three constituencies, including the crucial Bhabanipur, in West Bengal.

The ruling party also urged the poll body to hold elections in other vacant constituencies as soon as possible.

Reacting to the announcement of West Bengal by-polls on September 30, TMC leader Partha Chatterjee said, “EC, in its best wisdom, has taken a decision to hold by-polls in 3 constituencies. We welcome this decision.”

“We will certainly take it up with EC for early elections in other constituencies,” he added.

Senior TMC leader Firhad Hakim also asserted that the by-poll was a necessity as per constitutional norms but the BJP was trying to derail the process for narrow partisan interest. We hail the decision of the EC. We will follow all Covid-19 guidelines, he said.

Earlier in the day, the West Bengal BJP expressed reservations about the EC’s decision to hold by-polls in the Bhabanipur Assembly constituency, from where West Bengal Chief Minister and party supremo Mamata Banerjee plans to contest.

Opposition leader in the state Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP, said, “We had always maintained that holding by-polls and polls to all the seats should be held together when the Covid-19 situation improves.”

“We don’t know if holding by-election to one seat and election to two seats is a practical decision since the pandemic is still raging and there is the threat of third wave. However, we accept the decision of the EC,” he said.

He further stressed that the decision proved that the TMC’s allegations about the EC being controlled by the BJP are false.

Polling for “deferred adjourned” elections in two Assembly seats of West Bengal – Samserganj and Jangirpur – will also be held on September 30.

However, citing Covid-19 situation, the EC decided not to hold by-elections in four other Assembly seats in the state which are also lying vacant due to deaths and resignations of MLAs.