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‘All parties said UP elections should be held on time’, says Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra
Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra also said that the final list of voters will be released on January 5. The poll panel is expected to announce the schedule for UP assembly elections in first week of January.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sushil Chandra said on Thursday that political parties in Uttar Pradesh met the poll panel and urged that assembly elections should be held on time. A delegation of the Election Commission of India (ECI) is on a three-day visit to Uttar Pradesh to review the preparations for the upcoming polls to ensure free and fair elections.
“Representatives of all political parties met us and told us that elections should be conducted on time following all Covid-19 protocols,” CEC Chandra said at a press conference.
He further said that the final list of voters will be released on January 5, adding that voting will be held from 8am to 6pm on the date of polling.
“VVPATs will be installed at all voting booths. Live webcasting facilities will be available at around 1 lakh voting booths to ensure transparency in election process,” said Chandra.
“People above 80 years of age, persons with disabilities, and COVID affected people who are unable to come to the polling booth, the Election Commission will reach their doorsteps,” said the CEC.
The poll panel is expected to announce the schedule of next year’s elections in first week of January. The Omicron variant of the coronavirus has increased concern around holding the electoral exercise in Uttar Pradesh and four other states next year.
On the first day of the commission's visit on Tuesday, the CEC and election commissioners Rajiv Kumar and Anup Chandra Pandey, along with other senior officers of the ECI, held meetings with representatives of national and recognised political parties in Uttar Pradesh.
Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Congress and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) attended the meeting and sought strict imposition of model code of conduct after the announcement of the poll schedule, check on misuse of government machinery by the BJP and adequate deployment of central paramilitary forces during polling.
On Wednesday, the ECI delegation met district magistrates, police chiefs, commissioners, IGs, DIGs and other officials to review the preparations for assembly elections.
On Monday, the ECI had held a meeting with the senior health ministry officers in Delhi over the Omicron threat and measures required to conduct elections safely in the poll-bound states. Later, the central government advised the poll bound states to ramp up Covid vaccination, increase sample tests and strictly enforce Covid protocols.
