Covid-19 surge: EC defers bypolls to 3 Lok Sabha, 8 assembly seats
The bypolls have been deferred by the Election Commission in the parliamentary constituencies of Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh and Mandi in Himachal Pradesh.
As India continues to battle a deadly second wave of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday deferred by-elections of parliamentary and assembly constituencies in various states and Union territories.
“The commission has reviewed the matter today and has decided that due to outbreak of the second wave of Covid-19 in the country it would not be appropriate to hold by-elections till the pandemic situation significantly improves and conditions become conducive to hold these bye-elections,” a statement issued by the ECI read.
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The bypolls have been deferred by the ECI in the parliamentary constituencies of Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh and Mandi in Himachal Pradesh. Other than these, bypolls have also been postponed in eight assembly constituencies in various states and Union territories, including Kalka and Ellenabad in Haryana, Vallabhnagar in Rajasthan, Sindgi in Karnataka, Rajabala and Mawryngkneng in Meghalaya, Fatehpur in Himachal Pradesh and Badvel in Andhra Pradesh.
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Vacancies in seats, whether parliamentary or assembly, are required to be filled as per the provisions of section 151 A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, which states that by-elections must be conducted within six months from the date the vacancy occurs, if the remaining term for the seat is one year or more than that.
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India has been registering a record high number of Covid-19 cases as it battles with a deadlier second wave which has overwhelmed the health infrastructure of the country. On Wednesday, the country added 382,315 fresh Covid-19 cases and 3,780 related fatalities which pushed the nationwide infection tally to 20,665,148 and the death toll to 226,188, according to the Union health ministry's dashboard at 8am.
As many as 338,439 patients were discharged in the last 24 hours with which the total number of recoveries stood at 16,951,731 and the recovery rate in the country currently stands at 81.91%. The number of active cases in the country currently stands at 3,487,229, comprising 17% of the total confirmed cases.