EC tightens campaigning rules after review of last 5 assembly polls

The commission was severely criticised during the last round of assembly elections held in Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry for not doing much to ensure election related activities didn’t lead to a spike in Covid cases

From limiting attendees’ numbers to 30% of the seating capacity at any indoor facility with the maximum attendance capped at 200, to the proviso of permanent ban on rallies and campaigns by candidates and star campaigners who are found violating Covid-19 containment protocols, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has tightened guidelines for the upcoming by polls in 30 assembly and three parliamentary constituencies. Officials say the body has drawn lessons from the last five assembly elections held in March and April when the second wave of the pandemic peaked.

The election commission has reduced the maximum permitted attendance for election related events at indoor venues to 200 as long as it is less than 30% of the full capacity. (ANI Photo)

“The commission reviewed the extant guidelines implemented in the last round of elections, post which it undertook a review to see the lacunae in planning,” said an EC official familiar with the matter. “As a result, the commission has decided to further restrict campaigning and place a permanent ban on violators.”

The commission was severely criticised during the last round of assembly elections held in Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry for not doing much to ensure election related activities didn’t lead to a spike in Covid cases. The Madras high court even went so far as to orally observe that EC officials should be held liable for “murder” after largely unregulated electioneering was widely seen as a major contributor to the second Covid wave.

ECI on Tuesday announced by polls to three Lok Sabha and 30 assembly seats on October 30, saying the schedule was finalised after reviewing the pandemic situation, floods, festivals, cold conditions in certain regions and feedback from local authorities. The Lok Sabha by-polls will be held to one seat each in the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Madhya Pradesh (Khandwa) and Himachal Pradesh (Mandi). Assembly by-elections will be held to one constituency each in Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Mizoram, Maharashtra, Nagaland, and Telangana; two each in Karnataka, Bihar, and Rajasthan; three each in Himachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and Madhya Pradesh; four in West Bengal; and five in Assam.

The commission, led by Sushil Chandra and comprising Rajiv Kumar and Anup Chandra Pandey, has reduced the maximum permitted attendance for political events at indoor venues to 200 as long as it is less than 30% of the full capacity. For outdoor campaigns, the limit is set at 50% of the venue’s capacity but not more than 1000 attendees for events featuring star campaigners and at 500 attendees for all others. Earlier, the commission had decided to allow 50% attendance at outdoor meeting points and had to cap it at 500 after the number of infections in West Bengal increased manifold in April. “In either case, the allowed number is whichever is less. The entire area will be cordoned off and guarded by the police. The count of people entering the ground will be monitored. Expenditure for cordoning/barricading will be borne by the candidate or the political party. Only those grounds which are cordoned or barricaded completely will be used for rallies,” the commission said.

The poll body has further reduced the number of star campaigners allowed for registered political parties to 20 from 30 for the upcoming by polls.

It has warned that candidates and campaigners may be banned permanently in case of violations. “If a candidate or political party violates any of the above guidelines, no more permission shall be given to the concerned candidate/party for rallies, meetings etc. If any star campaigner violates the Covid protocols, he shall not be allowed to campaign further in that constituency/district,” the notification states.

The poll body has been requested by the Bharatiya Janata Party in Telangana to relax the guidelines and allow candidates to better interact with the electorate. “The entire country to trying to avoid a third wave in this pandemic, the commission has taken steps in keeping with that ethos,” said an official, aware of the developments.

Telangana BJP party president Bandi Sanjay Kumar’s office declined to comment on the matter.

Himachal Pradesh Congress president Kuldeep Singh Rathore appreciated the measures announced by the commission and called for its strict implementation, especially if those in power violated the guidelines. “There is an apprehension that there may be a third wave,” he said. “We definitely will adhere to all guidelines. But those in power must also adhere to them, the commission must ensure this.”