The Election Commission will meet on Saturday to take a call on whether to extend beyond January 15 the ban on public rallies, roadshows and corner meetings in five poll-bound states in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision will be taken based on inputs about the spread of the virus and its new variant Omicron, sources said.
Meanwhile, the BJP is expected to announce its first list of candidates for the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. The Congress has already announced its 125 candidates, giving tickets to 50 women while the SP-RLD alliance has announced names of 29 candidates, which include 19 from Rashtriya Lok Dal and 10 from Samajwadi Party.
Sitting Samajwadi Party MLA from Kairana assembly constituency Nahid Hasan on Friday became the first candidate to file his nomination papers for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls beginning next month. Hasan was the lone candidate who filed his nomination papers on the first day of issuance of notification on the UP Assembly elections. He is a two-time SP MLA from Kairana constituency in Shamli district.
A case has been registered by Uttar Pradesh Police after a massive crowd, in violation of Covid norms, gathered at the Samajwadi Party office in Lucknow on Friday for the joining-in function of two rebel ministers and some MLAs. The FIR against Samajwadi Party was registered according to the directives of the Election Commission on Covid-related norms and Model Code of Conduct. Read More
The BJP on Wednesday said it has finalised its first list of 172 candidates for Uttar Pradesh but the list names are yet to be announced. The party is likely to make the announcement today.
Announcing the schedule of assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Punjab and Manipur on January 8, the panel had taken the unprecedented step of banning public rallies, roadshows and corner meetings till January 15 in view of the pandemic.
The Commission had also listed 16-point guidelines for campaigning as it banned ‘nukkad sabhas’ (corner meetings) on public roads and roundabouts, limited the number of persons allowed for the door-to-door campaign to five, including the candidate, and prohibited victory processions after the counting of votes.
