Chief Elections Commissioner Sunil Arora with Election Commissioners Sushil Chandra (left) and Rajiv Kumar (right) announce the 2020 Bihar Assembly election schedule at a press conference in New Delhi on Friday.
In announcing the election schedule for Bihar’s 243-member assembly, Chief Elections Commissioner Sunil Arora said it will be one of the most important elections globally to be held during the current Covid-19 situation.
- CNN-News18 New Delhi
- Last update: September 25, 2020 11:35 PM IST
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Voting for the Bihar assembly elections will take place in three phases: the first on October 28, the second on November 3 and the third on November 7, while the counting of all votes will take place held on November 10, the Electoral Commission announced on Friday.
In announcing the voting schedule for Bihar’s 243-member assembly, Chief Elections Commissioner Sunil Arora said: “The battle against the coronavirus was endless, so a way had to be found to balance democratic rights. of people to elect a representative and also keep public health in place. ”See the full schedule here.
He said that these will be one of the most important elections globally to be held during the current Covid-19 situation. He said the world has changed significantly since the last elections that were held for the Delhi assembly and the COVID-19 pandemic has forced a new normal in all aspects of our lives.
Arora said that the vote will take place in 71 seats in the first phase, 94 seats in the second phase, 78 seats in the third phase. The deadline for the Bihar assembly is November 29.
Defending the elections taking place amid the pandemic, Arora called it an “leap of faith” and said it was not a leap in the dark, noting that the JEE and NEET engineering and medical examinations were also recently conducted . “Life has to go on,” he told reporters.
He said a number of crucial steps have been taken with the Covid-19 situation in mind.
Compared to 2015, where there were 65,337 polling stations, this time there are more than a lakh of polling places, and no more than 1,000 voters will be allowed per booth compared to 1,500 before. Bihar has recorded an electorate count of Rs 7.29 crore for these polls.
He said that this time the number of phases has been reduced. “We try to ensure that there is a minimum of travel by security personnel from other parts of the country to reduce the risk of infection. Also the election period and the phases were shortened. We have also taken into account the festival season before the end of the festivals. dates, “he said.
Among the measures taken are an additional hour of voting, separate voting for Covid-19 patients, suspects and those in quarantine, and no physical contact during the campaign, he announced. Voting time has increased from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., he said, except in areas affected by left-wing extremism.
These are some of the precautionary measures taken by the EC:
– Covid-19 patients can vote in the booths in the last hour which also under the supervision of a health official.
– Nodal health officials will be appointed in all districts.
– Candidates can submit the nomination both online and offline, the security money can also be sent digitally. The election certificate can be acquired digitally.
– All electoral boards must be carried out with social distancing following sanitary protocol. It will be monitored at all levels.
– All physical contact is prohibited.
– Any door-to-door meeting must be limited to 5 people, including the candidate. No more than two can be present with the candidate during the nomination.
– 7 lakh for hand sanitizers, 46 lakh for masks, 6 lakh for PPE equipment, 6.7 lakh for face shields and 23 lakh for pairs of hand gloves for the Bihar surveys.
– Postal voting service will be provided whenever necessary and requested.
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