Ahead of assembly elections, EC extends ban on roadshows, vehicle rallies. See details
Premium- The EC on Sunday extended ban on roadshows, 'pad yatras', cycle and vehicle rallies but relaxed norms for indoor and outdoor political meets for polls
Ahead of assembly elections, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Sunday extended ban on roadshows, 'pad yatras', cycle and vehicle rallies but relaxed norms for indoor and outdoor political meets for polls.
The EC, in a statement said, restrictions regarding outdoor meetings, indoor meetings, rallies will be further relaxed subject to condition that the number of persons attending these events will be limited to maximum of 50 per cent of the capacity of indoor halls and 30 per cent of the open ground capacity.
Maximum number of persons permissible for door-to-door campaigning fixed at 20 will remain as before. Ban on campaign between 8 PM and 8 AM will also continue as before, the EC said. Assembly polls are scheduled in five states of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Manipur and Punjab.
Meanwhile, just days after shots were fired at the car of AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi in western Uttar Pradesh, the Election Commission on Saturday directed chief secretaries of all states to provide adequate security cover to star campaigners of political parties within their states during election period.
In the letter, also marked to state chief electoral officers, the EC said it has been brought to its notice that the "star campaigners in the ongoing general elections to the legislative assemblies of the five states have faced security issues".
The star campaigners constitute an integral part of the election process and their security is of utmost importance for ensuring free and fair elections, the poll panel asserted.
"The commission has taken cognisance of the matter and has decided that the star campaigners... appointed by the political parties shall be provided adequate security cover within the state during the period of conduct of elections," it said.
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