Had to take off masks on occasions, say candidates

Kolkata: From BJP’s Babul Supriyo and

Parno

Mittra to TMC’s Madan Mitra, Sashi Panja and Sadhan Pande and Left’s Sujan Chakraborty — the list of

candidates

testing positive in the ongoing assembly elections is growing day by day. With the second wave of Covid-19 in Bengal, do leaders now regret for not being more cautious about wearing

masks

in their rallies?

On Monday, Parno Mitra, who is BJP’s candidate from Baranagar, took to social media to share that she had tested Covid positive. Currently, she is in home isolation and has a “bad headache”. “My sister had tested Covid positive 15 days ago. I wasn’t at home then. Now I’ve come home after more than a month. My mother has a separate entry and so she is safe.” On being asked about wearing masks on the trail, she said, “I wore it when it was possible. People want to see the face. I was constantly wearing a mask on the 17th – the day of polling. My sister, who didn’t attend any of my rallies, also got infected. In fact, I didn't get it when she was infected. My reports came in on Sunday,” she said.

Parno Mittra on her campaign trail
BJP’s Tollygunge candidate Babul Supriyo is in home isolation. On being asked if he regrets not wearing a mask always, he said, “No. I am a public servant. I have worn masks on most occasions and also tried to tell everyone to wear it too. But people want to see the face. While campaigning, I would stand on top of a jeep. So, there was a distance between me and the people. I would open my mask when it got very hot.”

Barrackpore’s TMC candidate Raj Chakrabarty, whose wife Subhashree Ganguly is now recovering from Covid, got an RT-PCR test done before returning home on Saturday. When he had refused to open mask, he was accused of being arrogant. “When I had refused to open his mask, I was told ‘jetar aagei katha shunchhen na toh jitle ki hobe? (You are not listening before winning. Wonder what will happen afterwards!)’ I had to oblige. From 8 am to 2 am, I was out. My kurta would be dripping wet and it was difficult to keep the mask on. Subhashree was repeatedly asked to open her mask. When she said she had a child at home, mothers would point at their own kids and say she needn’t worry,” he said. But in hindsight, Raj feels he ought to have been “more careful” and “firm”. Death of candidates unnerved him too. On April 15, Congress candidate for the Shamshergunj constituency Rezaul Haque had died of the infection. Jangipur’s Revolutionary Socialist Party candidate Pradip Nandy has also succumbed to the virus. “The death of Kajal Sinha, TMC’s Khardaha candidate on Sunday, is shocking. On May 2, I am going to wear the mask all the time. I cannot take any more chances,” Raj added.

Bankura’s TMC candidate Sayantika Banerjee got her Covid test done on April 2. “Initially, I was skeptical about campaigning without a mask. But I was assured by locals and medical team that the first wave had not impacted people much there. Now I am always wearing a mask,” she added.