The Election Commission of India has extended the ban on physical rallies and roadshows till January 31, 2022.
The Election Commission held a series of virtual meets today (January 22) to decide whether the ban imposed by it on physical rallies and roadshows to prevent the spread of coronavirus should continue.
Announcing dates for elections in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Punjab and Manipur on January 8, the poll panel had announced a ban on physical rallies, road and bike shows, and similar campaigning events till January 15. On January 15, the commission extended the ban until January 22.
However, the Election Commission announced some relaxations for political parties on Saturday. These include:
- Public meetings of political parties or contesting candidates in Phase 1 of the elections has been permitted from January 28 onwards. These must be held in designated open spaces with a maximum of 500 people or 50 per cent of the capacity of the ground.
- Public meetings of political parties or contesting candidates in Phase 2 of the elections has been permitted from February 1 onwards. These must be held in designated open spaces with a maximum of 500 people or 50 per cent of the capacity of the ground.
- For door-to-door campaigns, the maximum number of people has been increased from five to ten
- Video vans for publicity have been permitted at designated open spaces, on the condition that Covid norms are followed
Earlier, when the Election Commission had extended the ban on physical rallies till January 22, it had allowed political parties to hold indoor meetings with a maximum of 300 people or 50 per cent of the capacity of the hall.
In a stern message, Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra had said the poll body will take action against officials who fail to act against violations. The Chief Secretary or District Magistrate will be personally responsible for ensuring that all Covid-related protocol are followed, the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) said.
Voting for the Assembly elections in the five states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur and Goa will be held between February 10 and March 7. The election in the five states will be completed in 7 phases.
The votes will be counted on March 10.
