The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Sunday announced further relaxations with regards to election-related programmes for political parties in the poll-bound states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa. The relaxations, however, will be subject to certain conditions, the poll panel said in a notification.
“Restrictions regarding outdoor meeting/indoor meetings/rallies will be further relaxed subject to condition that the number of persons attending the indoor/outdoor/meetings/rallies will be limited to a maximum of 50 per cent of the capacity of indoor halls or 30 per cent of the open ground capacity or as fixed by the District Election Officer (DEO) as per requirement of the social distancing norms and whichever is less,” the notification read.
The election body also noted that in case State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) in respective states has announced ceilings for indoor/outdoor gatherings, and if these are stricter, then SDMA guidelines will prevail.
The decision to ease the restrictions was taken after considering reports from special election observers, chief secretaries and a meeting with the Union health secretary in the wake of declining cases of Covid-19, the Election Commission explained.
However, ban on roadshows, foot marches, vehicle rallies, victory processions will continue as before, while the number of people allowed for door-to-door campaigning will continue to be 20. Also, 12-hour ban on campaigning, from 8pm to 8am, too, will remain in force.
{{/usCountry}}However, ban on roadshows, foot marches, vehicle rallies, victory processions will continue as before, while the number of people allowed for door-to-door campaigning will continue to be 20. Also, 12-hour ban on campaigning, from 8pm to 8am, too, will remain in force.
{{/usCountry}}The ECI announced the poll schedule for the 5 states on January 8. Uttar Pradesh, the country's most populous state, will vote in 7 phases, between February 10 and March 7. Voters in Manipur will poll on February 27 and March 3. Uttarakhand and Goa will vote only on February 14, while the only date for polling in Punjab is February 20 (revised from February 14).
The counting of votes for all these states will be held on March 10.