E-Paper
Online nomination, more polling booths: How election commission plans to hold Assembly polls during Covid-19
Voting will take place for 126 seats in Assam, 234 in Tamil Nadu, 294 in West Bengal, 140 in Kerala and 30 in Puducherry. The counting of votes will be held on May 2.
When the election commission announced the schedule for Assembly polls in four states and one union territory, it also informed about the steps being taken to ensure smooth polling during Covid-19.
After Bihar Assembly polls, this is yet another electoral exercise taking place during the pandemic.
Also Read: Sops galore hours before poll schedule in announced
Chief election commissioner Sunil Arora said that arrangements will be put in place for candidates to file their nominations online, adding that voting will be allowed for an additional hour, keeping in mind Covid-19 safety guidelines.
Arora further said that due to social distancing norms, the number of polling stations have gone up to 1.1 lakh in West Bengal, where election will be held in eight phases. On an average, over 12,000 poling stations would go for polls in each of the eight phases in the state, said Arora.
"Everyone on election duty for the upcoming polls will be vaccinated against Covid-19 before polling day," said the chief election commissioner.
He said door-to-door campaigning will be restricted to five persons, including the candidate, while roadshows will be allowed with a maximum of five vehicles.
According to Arora, the nationwide vaccination drive has made the situation more conducive for conducting elections and the Union health ministry has declared everyone on poll duty as frontline workers for vaccination purposes.
Voting will take place for 126 seats in Assam, 234 in Tamil Nadu, 294 in West Bengal, 140 in Kerala and 30 in Puducherry.
Around 187 million people across these states and union territory in southern and eastern India will vote in 824 assembly seats for a month starting March 27. Votes in Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry will be counted on May 2, said Arora.
