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UP assembly polls: More booths, extra hour of voting time, says CEC
Senior citizens above 80 years of age and differently abled will have option of voting at their doorstep during UP assembly polls, decision on rallies will be taken according to Covid graph, says CEC Sushil Chandra.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sushil Chandra on Thursday said the number of polling booths will be enhanced by 11,000 to ensure social distancing and the voting time increased by an hour during the Uttar Pradesh (UP) assembly polls, adding that fully vaccinated polling staff will be deployed.
CEC asserted that Election Commission (EC) is committed to holding free and fair assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh with strict implementation of the Covid-19 protocol. During meetings with the poll panel, all the political parties told EC that the assembly elections should be held on time, CEC said at a press conference in Lucknow on the third and final day of the poll panel’s visit to Uttar Pradesh.
In view of the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of polling booths in the state will be increased by 11,000, CEC Sushil Chandra said.
“Earlier, a booth was made for 1,500 voters. But keeping in mind the Covid pandemic, the number of voters in each booth has been reduced to 1,250. Because of this, the number of polling booths has increased by 11,000. So, a total of 1,74,351 polling booths will be set up (in Uttar Pradesh),” he said.
While announcing the assembly election schedule, the poll panel will take cognizance of the Covid situation in the poll-bound states, he added.
A decision on curtailing big political rallies and holding virtual rallies will be taken according to the Covid graph, he said.
The commission will also take notice of the Allahabad high court request to defer the assembly election as well as to ban rallies and public meetings in view of the growing concerns over the Omicron variant of the coronavirus while announcing the assembly election schedule, he said.
The Allahabad high court had on December 23 requested the Central government to defer the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections due to a possible Omicron-led third Covid wave.
Chandra also said the Election Commission is committed to increasing the poll percentage in Uttar Pradesh. During the 2017 assembly elections, 61% voters had exercised their franchise whereas in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the poll percentage in UP dropped to 59%. EC will launch an awareness campaign to motivate voters to cast their vote, he said.
For the first time, senior citizens above 80 years of age, people with disabilities and those affected by Covid-19 will be provided with the alternative facility of postal voting sitting at home. If they want to come to the polling centre to cast their vote, they are welcome or else the commission will reach their doorstep, he said.
The list of all such voters will be given to political parties and a videography team will go to their homes. During this, care will be taken that the secrecy of voting should not be disturbed, he said.
The EC team had a meeting with the UP chief secretary and health secretary over Covid vaccination and the officials informed the poll panel that 80% of the people in the state have got the first dose while 49% people have got both the dose.
The commission directed the UP government to ramp up Covid vaccination, ensure that everyone in the state has received at least one dose of the Covid vaccine before polls, he said.
Only fully vaccinated frontline personnel will be deputed on the poll duties. A health nodal officer will be appointed in all the 75 districts to review the poll preparations according to Covid protocol.
In UP, four Omicron cases have been reported while three have recovered. The district magistrates have been directed to ensure Covid appropriate behaviour at the booths, to make arrangements for thermal scanners, sanitizer, masks, drinking water, toilet, electricity supply, wheel chairs as well as lift and drop facilities for senior citizens, CEC said. As many as 800 polling booths in UP will be managed by women personnel and there will be 4,030 model polling booths. Chandra said.
During the three-day visit to UP, the full bench of EC met representatives of political parties, district magistrates, superintendents of police, divisional commissioners, commissioner of police and inspectors general of police, UP chief electoral officer, officers of the various enforcement agencies, nodal officers of the state police and central paramilitary forces.
On Thursday, the EC team met newly appointed chief secretary Durga Shankar Mishra and director general of police Mukul Goel.
Chandra said administrative and police officers have been directed not to be biased toward any political party during the election campaign and all the political parties should be given a level playing field during the campaign. Strict action will be taken against the officers who violate the order, he said.
The chief secretary and DGP were told to transfer the officers associated with poll duty who have completed three years in a district. The UP government informed the commission that 5,000 police personnel as well as administrative officers have been transferred. The state government will submit a certificate with EC on January 1 regarding the transfer of officers. The officers were directed to increase security and vigil in the sensitive areas, bordering districts and critical booths to check infiltration or smuggling of liquor, drug and weapons during election.
UP government officers will hold regular meetings with officers of the neighbouring states to maintain security on the border, he said.
Along with curbing black money, EC is committed to checking inducement, distribution of freebies and liquor during the polling. All the enforcement agencies have been directed to work in coordination to implement the model code of conduct (MCC), Chandra said.
Vigil will be maintained on all the helipads, airstrips, airports and railway stations across UP and an eye will be kept on chartered flights coming to the state during the election campaign, he said.
The Election Commission has launched the C- Vigil app to motivate the people to check violation of the model code of conduct.
People should download the app and send photos of model code violation, he said, adding that the commission will take immediate action. The political parties will have to give details of the candidates with criminal antecedents contesting on the party ticket. The parties will also have to give a clarification why a candidate with criminal antecedents has been given a ticket, he said.
There are 15.02 crore voters in UP. Under the electoral roll revision launched across the state in November- December, 52.8 lakh new voters have been added. It includes 23.92 male voters, 28.86 female voters and 19.8 lakh voters in the age group of 18-19 years. The gender ratio in the state has increased to 868/1000 from 839/1000.
He said the electoral rolls will be published on January 5. Voters will be able to file their claims and objections till the last day of filing of nominations.
Representatives of political parties have also expressed concern over hate speeches and paid news, he said, stressing that the commission is committed to making the voting process smooth, simple and temptation free.
For maintaining transparency, webcasting will be done at not less than 1 lakh polling places. VVPAT machines will be installed at all polling booths along with electronic voting machines and as per directions of the Supreme Court, VVPAT slips of at least five polling stations in each assembly constituency will be matched with the EVM count.
A voter awareness campaign has been launched to increase the participation of women in voting and increase the voting percentage in the state, he said.
