The Election Commission will allow physical campaigning for the upcoming Bihar elections, but limit the size of campaign squads to three people for door-to-door visits and allow only five cars in a candidate’s convoy, The Indian Express has learned.

The poll panel held a meeting on Tuesday regarding campaigning during a pandemic. The Commission, sources said, has approved a set of guidelines which will be issued this week.

Aside from capping the number of people for door-to-door campaigning, the Commission will permit only two people to accompany a candidate to file their nomination papers.

As for rallies, a senior EC official said officers on the ground would determine the size of gatherings. “There are over 40 grounds and parks in Bihar where rallies can be held. We can’t dictate the size of crowds sitting here. The officers in the state can determine this based on the social distancing norms,” the senior official said.

The EC guidelines, it is learned, will not prohibit digital rallies and campaigns as demanded by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and CPI(M). Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), an NDA constituent, has suggested less emphasis on this mode of campaigning. “This mode was not prohibited before Covid, so there’s no reason to do that now,” the officer said.