4 states write to EC for deferring by-elections amid Covid concerns
NEW DELHI: Four states -- Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Gujarat -- have written to the election commission to defer the upcoming by-elections to the state assembly, citing rising Covid-19 cases and heavy rains, according to officials familiar with the matter.
Elections to 56 assembly seats and one parliamentary constituency, including the eight which were deferred last month, are scheduled to be held from September. So far, the Election Commission of India has only held elections to some Rajya Sabha seats, and the assembly council of states, where voting is open to specialised electoral colleges rather than the general public.
According to the ECI officials cited above, the chief secretaries of MP, Haryana and Gujarat, and the chief electoral officer of Kerala, have written to the commission apprising it of the situation on the ground. The by-polls are to be conducted across eight states, Tamil Nadu, Assam, UP, MP, Kerala, Gujarat, Haryana and Nagaland. A break-up of the same is not available.
The Kerala CEO has cited “heavy rains and floods” as the primary reasons for deferring the polls. Before writing the letter, he sought feedback from district magistrates, said an EC official, referring to the letter. “Tthe people involved in the relief operations are the same who are likely to be involved in conducting the elections,” said an EC official who asked not to be named. “The deployment of election machinery is a potential hurdle.” Heavy rains in Kerala has led to floods, and the death toll in the Idukki landslide hit 55 on August 13.
The ECI official said that the
Gujarat chief secretary has attached a detailed report from reputed health associations to apprise the commission of the rising Covid-19 cases in the state. He added that the commission is monitoring the situation closely and will take all reports into account before taking a final call. “The situation is dynamic and changing everyday. We will take a call on when to hold the bypolls at an appropriate time.”
A second ECI official, however, said that the bypolls would have no bearing on the assembly election scheduled to be held in Bihar later this year. Polling in the state is due in November. “Bypolls can be deferred, as in most cases there are only a few vacancies,” said the second official.
The Commission, on July 24, deferred bypolls to eight states till September 7 though the mandatory six-month period to conduct these elections has lapsed.