The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday allowed public meetings of political parties and candidates of all phases of the Assembly elections with up to 1,000 people, after reviewing the COVID-19 situation in the poll-bound states.
The ECI had allowed public meetings for candidates of the first two phases only, with up to 500 people. The three-member commission reviewed the COVID-19 situation in the election-going Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh on Monday with officials of the Health Ministry and the States.
“All the State Chief Secretaries informed the commission about reports of COVID-19 infection either plateauing out or tapering as on date. They also said that the positivity rate is showing a decline with the number of hospitalisation cases also registering a declining trend. The State officers, however, said that COVID protocol precautions need to be continued to be observed so that no undue spurt takes place due to intense public contact because of heightened political activity,” the ECI said in a statement.
Ban on roadshows
The ECI extended the ban on roadshows, vehicle rallies and processions till February 11.
“Commission has now decided to allow physical public meetings of political parties or contesting candidates in designated open spaces with a maximum of 1,000 persons (instead of existing 500 persons) or 50% of the capacity of the ground or the prescribed limit set by State Disaster Management Authority, whichever number is lesser, from February 1, 2022 for all phases,” the statement said.
The ECI increased the limit for door to door campaigning from 10 to 20 people, excluding security personnel. For indoor meetings, it increased the limit from 300 to 500 people.