Legislative council elections in Bihar, Andhra on July 6

NEW DELHI: The pending legislative council elections in Bihar and Andhra Pradesh will be held on July 6 with the results on the same day, the Election Commission announced on Monday.

The elections were deferred due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Considering the prevailing unforeseen situation of public health emergency due to Covid-19 and the guidelines & orders passed under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 by the competent authority, the Election Commission... directed that the process of election to the above mentioned seats shall be initiated at a later date after reviewing the prevailing situation,” the EC said in its order on Monday.

While one seat in Andhra Pradesh was vacated by an MLC, nine seats will go to polls in Bihar.

“The Commission, after receiving inputs from CEO, Andhra Pradesh, has decided to hold a bye-election to the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council by the members of the Legislative Assembly,” the Commission said in a press release. A similar direction has been issued for Bihar.

The Commission has also directed the chief secretaries of both states to depute a senior official to “ensure that the extant instructions regarding Covid-19 containment measures are complied with while making arrangements for conducting the elections”.

“The Election Commission has obviously weighed the pros and cons of the situation,” said former chief election commissioner SY Quraishi. “They are aware of the stipulations of the government of India.”

Moreover, added Quraishi, MLC electorates are relatively small and thus, ensuring social distancing would not be a hassle. “South Korea has conducted national elections with 30 million voters, the EC must have studied the case and taken a decision.”