Political parties and candidates can hold rallies as part of their campaigning for the Bihar Assembly polls and the grounds where such meetings will be held will have white circles to ensure distancing norms. These are among the slew of measures the Election Commission is taking in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Addressing a Press conference to announce the schedule for Bihar assembly elections, Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora said he wants to dispel doubts that there will only be virtual campaigning in the State. The “propaganda” that only virtual meets will take place during campaigning is way off the mark, he said.
Arora said the district election officers have already identified places where gatherings can take place. The exercise of putting markers to ensure distancing norms is on. District election officers and district superintendents of police should ensure that the number of attendees does not exceed the limit prescribed by the State Disaster Management Authority for public gatherings, an EC statement later said. Political parties and candidates concerned should ensure that all COVID-related requirements such as face masks, sanitisers and thermal scanning are fulfilled during each of these election activities, the commission said.
Anyone violating the norms will face action under relevant sections of the Disaster Management Act and the Indian Penal Code, the EC warned. As part of restrictions put in place to check the spread of the virus, the EC has reduced the number of people who can undertake door-to-door campaigning. A group of five people, including candidates, but excluding security personnel, is allowed to campaign from door to door.
For road shows, the convoy of vehicles should be broken after every five vehicles instead of 10 vehicles. The interval between two sets of convoy of vehicles should be half an hour instead of a gap of 100 metres. The EC has revised the norms of the number of people accompanying the candidate and number of vehicles at the time of nomination.
It has also created an optional facility to fill the nomination form and the affidavit online and submission of the same, after taking a print, before the returning officer concerned.
For the first time, the candidates will have the option to deposit the security amount for contesting the elections online. For the first time, the EC has made special arrangements to protect its employees from contracting coronavirus during their election duty in Bihar.
It will provide a small kit containing N95 mask, sanitizer and gloves to protect the employees on poll duty in the state. The packet will also contain one safety keychain to avoid use of hands while pressing buttons.
According to Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora, EC has arranged about 46 lakh masks, 6 lakh PPE kits, 6.7 lakh units of faces-shields, 23 lakh (pairs of) hand gloves arranged. For voters specifically, 7.2 crore single-use hand gloves for Bihar polls. Besides, postal ballot facility will be provided wherever required and requested.
Social distancing norms will need to be followed at public gatherings during the poll campaign. He said the world has changed significantly since the last elections which were held for Delhi assembly and the COVID-19 pandemic has forced a new normal in every aspect of our life.
