The Election Commission has extended the ban on roadshows, 'pad yatras', cycle and vehicle rallies but relaxed restrictions for indoor and outdoor political meets for the upcoming assembly elections in five states.
The decision comes after the panel held a meeting with the secretary of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Saturday to assess the coronavirus pandemic situation in the country.
"Restrictions regarding outdoor meeting, indoor meetings, rallies will be further relaxed subject to condition that the number of persons attending will be limited to maximum of 50 per cent of the capacity of indoor halls and 30 per cent of the open ground capacity or as fixed by DEO as per requirement of the social distancing norms and whichever is less," the poll panel said in a statement today.
The decision to ban political rallies was taken on January 8 after a surge in COVID-19 cases in India. The restrictions have been gradually relaxed since then as the panel continues to review the pandemic situation.
Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Manipur, Punjab, and Uttarakhand will vote over seven phases starting February 10, with counting of votes scheduled for March 10. Political parties have been using social media and virtual rallies to reach out to the voters.
The chief secretaries of poll-going states had written to the commission and apprised that there has been significant improvement in the prevailing Covid situation, a considerable decrease in the number of positive cases and also in cases of hospitalisation, the election commission said today.
Special observers, appointed to oversee the conduct of polls, had recommended the panel to consider revisiting the existing campaign guidelines and permit further relaxations.
Taking into account these inputs, the commission said it held a meeting with the health secretary who said that Covid cases are fast receding in the country and even in the reported cases, maximum cases are reported from non-poll going states. The poll-going states are contributing a very small proportion of the total reported cases in the country, the official informed.
"In the poll-going states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur and Goa, total number of cases which were more than 30,000 at peak on January 22 have reduced to around 7,000 on February 5," the commission informed.
The maximum number of people permissible for door-to-door campaigning fixed at 20 will remain as before while the ban on campaigning between 8pm and 8am will also continue as before, it said.
Open-ground rallies can be held only in the grounds specifically designated by the district authorities and subject to compliance, it added.
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