Tens of thousands of gig workers who rely on two-wheelers for their day’s income are worried about what the Election Commission’s prohibition on bikes and pillion riders ahead of the Bengal polls would mean for them.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee told a rally in Calcutta on Tuesday that the EC’s decision was a “blow to the poor”.

“Aarey bike nahi chalega toh ghar jayega kaise? Bahut sarey naukri karte hain. Dur dur gaon mein rehete hain. Yeh kya farman hai? Yeh farman nahi, badmashi hai.
Shaytani hai. (How will you go home if there are no bikes? Many work. They live far away. What is this diktat? This is not a diktat but mischief. This is evil),” Mamata told an election rally at Satyanarayan Park in Burrabazar.

Calcutta and its surrounding areas have around 40,000 commercial bike riders. They ferry passengers, carry food and medicines and transport goods.

Motorcycles will not be allowed on roads between 6pm and 6am starting two days before polling in Bengal on April 23 and 29, the EC said on Monday.

Pillion riders will not be allowed even during the relaxation window of 6am to 6pm, barring medical emergencies, family functions or
dropping and picking up children from schools, the directive says.

Several commercial two-wheeler riders said the ban had come as a blow. “We were not prepared for this. It is sad,” app-bike rider Shankar Ganguly said.

“My wife is a cancer patient, and my daughter is thalassemic. I earn around ₹1,000 a day from an app-cab platform as a bike-taxi driver and have many responsibilities. How will I foot the medical bills without any income for two days?” Ganguly said.

The Haridevpur resident said afternoons had remained dull with scant bookings since temperatures shot up over the past two weeks. He gets most bookings during peak morning and evening office hours from Dalhousie, Salt Lake and Sector V.

“I log out early to return to my wife and daughter. What will I do now?” Ganguly asked.

The restriction for the 152 Assembly constituencies going to the polls on April 23 came into effect on Tuesday. For the rest, including Calcutta, the bar will kick in onApril 27.

“In order to ensure free, fair, peaceful and violence-free elections... in the state and to prevent any form of intimidation and source jamming… restrictions on use of motorcycles are hereby imposed with immediate effect from polling day minus two onward,” the EC directive says.

On the day of polls, “family pillion riding on motorcycles shall be allowed from 6am to 6pm for voting purposes and for other essential requirements”, the circular says.

Senior officials in the state transport department said around 40,000 commercial bike riders operated out of Calcutta and adjoining areas.

“How much do we earn as bike riders? Maybe ₹1,000-1,200 a day. For lone breadwinners like me with a family to take care of, remaining out of work for almost two days is a huge blow,” said Swapan Kumar Koyal of Sonarpur.

Swapan, whose daughter studies in college, has to look after his wife and mother. He has enrolled with multiple bike-taxi platforms to reduce waiting time between rides.

“Most of us from Sonarpur log in and wrap up early so we can return safely by evening,” Koyal said.

The ban on motorbikes will also affect those delivering food and parcels.

“A delivery agent gets around ₹15 per parcel delivered. An agent relies heavily on his two-wheeler for faster deliveries so he can make more from high-volume deliveries. What will we do on those two days?” said Avijit Sardar, a delivery agent for a courier company.

Sardar, a Chinar Park resident, said his per-day income depended on the number of deliveries and on-time performance.

The EC has, however, offered a sliver of hope.

“In case anybody needs exemption from the above restrictions, written permission from the local police station may be taken,” the poll panel said.

Senior police officers said they were clueless about the criteria for permission.

“How does one understand what a medical emergency is or what a family function is? We have asked our seniors, and there is no clarity yet,” said a senior officer ofKolkata Police’s north division overseeing election arrangements.

The EC circular doesn’t spell out the documents that would have to be furnished by someone seeking an exemption.