The Election Commission will announce dates for Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa, Manipur, and Uttarakhand at 3:30 pm, a statement from the top polling body has said.
Dates will be announced a day after the Commission was briefed by the government on the Covid situation, and particularly the threat posed by the fast-spreading Omicron strain. This morning India reported over 1.41 lakh new cases - up 21 per cent from yesterday.
Concern over the virus spreading further increased after political parties held mega rallies in poll-bound states. These rallies are attended by thousands (many without face masks) and social distancing is entirely absent for such events, which are understandably difficult to control.
On Friday top officials from the Election Commission and the Health Ministry met in Delhi to discuss polling and the Covid situation, news agency PTI reported. Among the measures discussed was double vaccination of all poll workers and voters.
Officials also met last week to discuss other measures, including extending voting times by an hour and setting up extra polling booths in UP - India's most populous state - to ensure social distancing.
These and other measures were to be enforced ahead of (and during) elections in Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, and other states in polls held last year, but Covid cases in these states spiked anyway.
Last month the Allahabad High Court in UP had asked the Election Commission and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to defer polls by a couple of months in light of the Omicron threat.
The Uttarakhand High Court has also expressed concern; it recently asked if rallies could be held virtually, and people could vote online. The state has since banned all election rallies till January 16.
On the subject of political rallies the Election Commission had said this was the responsibility of individual state governments, and that it could not act until the Model Code is enforced.
The central government, however, seemed to avoid that responsibility, with Covid task force chief Dr VK Paul saying the poll body had to ensure Covid rules are followed at rallies.
Of the five states voting in the next two months, the BJP rules four and the Congress one - Punjab.
The UP election is viewed as critical for the BJP, which faces a keen challenge from Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav. The UP polls are also an indicator of how the BJP might perform in the 2024 general election; the state sends 80 MPs to the Lok Sabha - the most of any.
In Punjab the Congress is battling to retain power after a leadership crisis triggered by the spat between Navjot Sidhu and ex-Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, who quit his post and the party last year to set up the Punjab Lok Congress and ally with the BJP.
In Goa the BJP is facing anti-incumbency and challenges from the AAP and the Trinamool Congress, in addition to the Congress. The Congress and the AAP will challenge the BJP in Uttarakhand too, where the ruling party last year was forced to change chief ministers twice in less than six months.
In Manipur (as in Goa), the Congress won 28 seats in the 60-member Assembly, but the BJP formed the government after support from three regional parties.
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