Assembly Polls 2022: Election Commission Extends Ban on Public Rallies Till Jan 22 Amid Covid Boom

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posted on 2 years ago — updated on 1 second ago

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The Election Commission held meetings with Union health secretary and chief secretaries of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur and Goa before deciding to extend the ban.

The Election Commission on Saturday decided to extend the ban on physical rallies and roadshows till January 22 in view of rising cases of Covid-19.

While announcing the election schedule for Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Punjab and Manipur on January 8, the poll panel had taken the unprecedented step of banning public rallies, roadshows and similar physical campaigning events till January 15.

The poll watchdog today held meetings with the Union health secretary and chief secretaries of the five poll-bound states before deciding to extend the ban.

“No physical rally of political parties or candidates (including probable) or any other group related to election shall be allowed till 22 January 2022. However, the Commission has granted relaxation for the political

parties to the extent that indoor meetings of a maximum of 300 persons or 50% of the capacity of the hall or the prescribed limit set by SDMA will be allowed,” the EC said in its order.

The election panel also stated that political parties shall ensure the compliance of Covid-appropriate behaviour and guidelines, and also follow the Model Code of Conduct on all occasions.

“All remaining restrictions as contained in the Revised Broad Guidelines for Conduct of Elections, 2022 issued on 8 January 2022 shall continue to operate. All concerned State/District authorities shall ensure full compliance of these instructions,” the EC stated.

On January 8, the commission had also listed out 16-point guidelines for campaigning as it banned ‘nukkad sabhas‘ (corner meetings) on public roads and roundabouts, limited the number of persons allowed for door-to-door campaign to five, including the candidate, and prohibited victory processions after the counting on votes.

Separately, in a press release on Friday, the Election Commission said on considering the ongoing pandemic and enhanced relevance of non-contact based campaign, it had, in consultation with Prasar Bharti Corporation decided to double the broadcast/telecast time allotted to each national party and recognised state party of the five states.

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