How Covid-19 may recast electioneering in Bihar assembly polls

NEW DELHI: With assembly polls in Bihar scheduled to be held in October-November this year, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has begun preparations well in time. The election holds significance because it would be the first state election after the outbreak of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The term of the existing Bihar assembly ends on November 29. The impact of COVID-19 on the forthcoming state elections is evident from the outset.
A five-day training programme for Bihar state polls is already underway. Having started on June 29, the training is being conducted by India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM) - ECI’s advanced training and resources wing. IIIDEM was set up in June 2011 to ensure free, fair, credible and professionally-managed elections.
About 20 trainers in Delhi are imparting training to roughly the same number of people in Bihar through video conferencing this time. One previous occasions, the training would take place face-to-face.
These trainees would, in turn, train Election Commission officials of Bihar.
Sources in ECI said detailed modalities and nitty-gritties of election protocol in view of social distancing and other health norms would be worked out in due course of time.
ECI has already taken at least two major decisions regarding the Bihar elections. Last month, it decided to relax the minimum age for casting postal ballots to 65 years. Earlier, the minimum age to vote by postal ballots was 80 years.
In the second significant decision, the maximum number of voters at one polling station has been capped at 1,000 from the earlier 1,400-1,500.
ECI is likely to take other major decisions in the days to come in consultation with the home and health ministries and other stakeholders to meet the guidelines under the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Act.
Talking to timesofindia.com regarding revisions in the election process which ECI should take, former chief election commissioner (CEC) Nasim Zaidi said the process to revise election protocol has already been initiated. A working group comprising health and home ministries among others has been constituted to revise the election process in different phases - right from filing of nomination papers to campaigning, voting and counting of votes, he said.
Zaidi said, “The commission will have to formulate guidelines for following the health protocol regarding social distancing, besides limiting the number of voters at one polling station. This would take care of the maximum number of voters at each polling booth.”
Zaidi was of the view that the guidelines must also include filing of nomination papers, campaigning and counting of votes. He said political parties would have to be told to maintain distancing during filing of nomination papers, campaigning and counting of votes.
He further said, “Sanitisation of the voting compartment and EVMs on regular intervals is very much desirable. The EVM machine will have to be sanitised every time the voter touched the buttons during voting. Wearing masks and keeping hand sanitiser in the compartment will have to be ensured.”
Zaidi said a similar protocol would have to be followed for counting of votes.
Asked if by reducing the maximum number of voters at each polling station and maintaining social distancing during counting would mean the process would take more time, Zaidi said it was unlikely.
The time factor for voting would be taken care of by increasing the number of polling stations, staff and EVMs. For counting, he said ECI should increase the number of tables in the counting centres.
“India can learn from the experiences of South Korea and Guyana which have recently gone to polls,” Zaidi added.
Former director general of ECI Akshay Raut was of the view that health and safety of voters as well as polling staff would have to be taken into consideration while framing guidelines for elections. There has to be minimum physical interaction among voters and with the poll staff, he said.
“ECI should also rely more on online interaction than physical contact. Door-to-door campaigning may be discouraged. Innovations must take place to meet the challenges arising out of coronavirus," Raut said.