Law Kumar Mishra
Patna: August 11
The Election Commission of India had indicated that the state of Bihar would go to the polls as per the schedule, bucking the treat arising from the Covid-19 pandemic.
The term of the present (16th) assembly ends on November 29 and elections may be held in different phases between October and November.
Ruling NDA partner, LJP has opposed holding elections on its schedule in view of the Corona crisis. Union Food and Consumer affairs minister Ram Vilas Paswan, father of the LJP president Chirag Paswan had even suggested President’s Rule should be imposed after the term of the House expired.
LJP parliamentary board in a resolution had recommended rescheduling of the elections as the party apprehended holding elections during Corona crisis may put the lives of millions into danger.
Paswan said millions of school teachers would be engaged as polling personnel, thousands of security men would be engaged and crores of electorate would be asked to line up at polling centres, all within the danger zone of Corona virus. Health services in Bihar were still off the mark to fight Corona, the LJP leader said.
Meanwhile, the local election office had started the preparation indicating that the election would be held at per the schedule. Bihar’s chief electoral officer H R Sriniwas held a video conference with the district magistrates who are designated election officers and directed them to set up a cluster for every ten polling booths.
Polling staff engaged in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections should be called and their training should start soon. He directed the election officers to get the names of the “duplicate” voters deleted from the electoral rolls. All EVMS and VVPAT machines should be examined well before the elections, Sriniwas said.
Senior SP of Patna Upendra Sharma today asked all circle inspectors and station house officers to visit the polling stations located under their jurisdictions for security arrangements.
CEO issued guidelines to the election officers to observe the SOPs of corona containment during the polling and campaign. Election Commission had sought opinion of all political parties about the conduct of the elections and the deadline for receipt of their suggestions was extended from July 31 to today (August 11).
All parties including the RJD, RLSP, VIP, HAM(S), Left parties and LJP in their written submissions had demanded extension of election dates in view of Corona virus attack. However, JDU and BJP wanted it on time before the expiry of the term of the present House.
