Ban on all roadshows to continue until Feb 11
New Delhi: Ahead of the assembly polls in five states, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday extended the ban on roadshows, padyatras, vehicle rallies and processions till February 11. It, however, permitted a maximum of 1,000 people for physical public meetings and enhanced the number of people allowed in door-to-door campaigning from the present 10 to 20.
The decision was announced after Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sushil Chandra along with election commissioners Rajiv Kumar and Anup Chandra Pandey held a review of the ongoing Covid-19 situation in the poll-bound states of Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.
“All the state chief secretaries informed the commission about reports of Covid-19 infection either plateauing out or tapering as on date. They also said the positivity rate is showing a decline with the number of hospitalisation cases also registering a declining trend. The state officers, however, said that Covid-19 protocol precautions need to be continued to be observed so that no undue spurt takes place due to intense public contact because of heightened political activity,” the ECI said.
Last week, the poll body relaxed some restrictions in keeping with the trends of the spread of Covid-19. Following the examination of the latest rise in cases, the ECI decided to allow physical public meetings of political parties or contesting candidates in designated open spaces with a maximum of 1,000 people (instead of existing 500) or 50% of the capacity of the ground or the prescribed limit set by SDMA (State Disaster Management Authority), whichever number is lesser,
from February 1, 2022 for all phases. Polling for Uttar Pradesh will be held in seven phases starting February 10, while the counting of votes will take place on March 10. The other four states -- except Manipur where elections will be held in two phases -- will see polling in a single phase.
The ECI on Monday also enhanced the limit for door-todoor campaigns. “Instead of 10 persons, now 20 persons, excluding security personnel, will be allowed for door-to-door campaigns. Other instructions on door-to-door campaigns will continue,” the commission said in a press statement.
It also granted relaxation for political parties, allowing indoor meetings with a maximum of 500 people (instead of existing 300) or 50% of the capacity of the hall or the prescribed limit set by SDMA. “Political parties shall ensure the compliance of Covid-19 appropriate behaviour and guidelines and Model Code of Conduct at all occasions during the activities connected with elections,” it added.
The poll body had earlier banned all such gatherings until January 15 in the wake of surging Covid-19 cases.
Other containment measures include curbs on the number of vehicles accompanying a candidate for the submission of nomination, which will be restricted
to two instead of five. The ECI said the chambers of returning officers should have sufficient space to perform the functions of nomination, scrutiny and symbol allocation following social distancing norms.
The poll body has increased the number of polling stations across the five states, in order to allow only 1,250 voters in each polling station instead of the usual 1,500. The ECI has said that there will be mandatory sanitisation of polling stations and thermal checking of all those casting their votes. It also conducted a pilot project to livetrack overcrowding of voters at various polling booths.