EC request PM Modi to ban election rallies.
New Delhi: Amid the Omicron scare, ahead of the upcoming Uttar Pradesh election polls, the Election Commission said that all the political parties should lead the election on time with proper COVID protocols.
According to a report by the media, Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra said, all parties, including the ruling BJP, prime challenger Samajwadi Party, the Congress and Bahujan Samaj Party, among others, have said the elections must be held on time.
Adding more details on the parties raised violation of Covid norms in rallies and asking for curbs to be put in place, Mr Chandra said, the parties had come up with suggestions on how vulnerable groups in the population can be protected from the threat of infection.
The poll panel team visited the state after the Allahabad High Court urged it to defer the Uttar Pradesh polls amid a spike in Covid cases driven by the new Omicron strain and requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ban election rallies.
Listing steps being taken to prevent a surge in infections, the Chief Election Commissioner said voting time will be extended by an hour and 11,000 booths added to ensure distancing. Detailed guidelines will be issued soon, he said.
Frontline poll workers will be fully vaccinated. Several directions have been issued to ensure that everyone in the state has received at least one dose of the vaccine.
"UP officials have told us that 50 per cent of the population is fully vaccinated and that only four Omicron cases have been reported in the state so far," he said.
Low turnout in the past two Uttar Pradesh elections is a matter of concern for the poll panel, Mr Chandra said. "We have thoroughly reviewed that and officials are trying to create more awareness," he said.
To boost women participation in polls, 800 polling booths for women will be set up, he said. "We will conduct an inclusive election in which no voter will be left behind," Mr Chandra added.
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