Uttar Pradesh polls should be held on time with COVID-19 protocol, all parties said: Election Commission

Have taken note of all points raised by parties, Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra said

New Delhi: All political parties in Uttar Pradesh have said the upcoming Assembly elections should be held on time while ensuring Covid protocol, the Election Commission said today, clearing the air on whether polls will be held amid a spike in new infections

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Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra told the media that 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.
The parties had come up with suggestions on how vulnerable groups in the population can be protected from the threat of infection, Mr Chandra said, adding that parties raised violation of Covid norms in rallies and asked for curbs to be put in place.
The remarks came after an Election Commission team led by the Chief Election Commissioner visited the country's most populous and politically significant state.
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, he said, adding that directions have been issued to ensure that everyone in the state has received at least one dose of vaccine.
"UP officials have told us that 50 per cent of 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.
Besides Uttar Pradesh, Assembly elections are due in Goa, Manipur, Uttarakhand and Gujarat in the first half of next year.