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EC dismisses row over voting during Ramzan
EC said that it was not possible to postpone the polls for the full month of Ramzan, and underlined that main festival days and Fridays have been excluded.
After the Election Commission’s (EC) announcement of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls schedule on Sunday, Aam Aadmi Party legislator Amanatullah Khan and Trinamool Congress leader Firhad Hakim have alleged that people would face problems as voting coincides with the Muslim holy month of Ramzan.
Khan has said the schedule would impact the turnout of Muslim voters, while Hakim has said people observing day-long fast would face difficulties.
“There will be less polling among Muslims, and it will directly benefit the BJP [Bharatiya Janata Party],” Khan said on Sunday, triggering a sharp response from the BJP.
Union minister Vijay Goel hit back at the AAP. “They are unnecessarily communalising the election process. This just shows their frustration, as they have been unsuccessful in galvanising public support against [the Narendra] Modi government. Ramzan is just an excuse; they actually want to communalise the elections for political gains.”
In wake of the controversy, EC said that it was not possible to postpone the polls for the full month of Ramzan, and underlined that main festival days and Fridays have been excluded.
“During Ramzan, polls are conducted as the full month cannot be excluded. However, the dates of main festival and Fridays are avoided for poll days,” an EC spokesperson was quoted as saying by news agency IANS.
The seven-phase Lok Sabha polls are beginning April 11 and will conclude on May 19. The counting will take place on May 23. Ramzan, when Muslims fast during the day, is likely to start in the first week of May 6.
“Those who fast during Ramzan have no issues with the dates but some political leaders are raising objections,” Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad was quoted by mews agency ANI as saying.
In Tamil Nadu , several parties have demanded that the election to Madurai be postponed in view of the famed Chithirai festival, which draws over hundreds of thousands of devotees .
Tamil Nadu chief electoral officer Satyabrata Sahoo directed Madurai district collector, police commissioner and police superintendent to file a report. “It is difficult to provide security for polling on that day since over 5000 police personnel are being deployed for festival security alone. For poll arrangements and security, the services of para military forces could be requisitioned,” commissioner of police Davidson Devasirvatham said.
