Representational Image  |  Photo Credit: PTI
Raipur: Amid the looming threat of Covid’s latest variant ‘Omicron’, Congress on Monday suggested the Election Commission of India (ECI) to conduct Assembly elections in five states before the scheduled time.
Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh are scheduled to go to polls in February-March next year.
While speaking to media, Chhattisgarh Health Minister TS Singh Deo said, “It would not be a right decision to postpone the upcoming assembly election in five states which include Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Manipur.”
“The Election Commission of India should conduct the elections before the scheduled time as there are rising concerns over possible third wave of Covid-19 pandemic,” he added.
Singh also expressed surprise over the Allahabad High Court’s appeal to the Election Commission for postponing the polls in Uttar Pradesh for 1-2 months.
“There will be more problems if elections are postponed as the positivity rate is still less at present. When the country will be in the middle of the third wave of Covid-19, it will become more difficult to conduct elections,” he said.
Back on December 24, the High Court had urged the election body to to immediately postpone the Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh for 1-2 months. The court also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the EC to immediately ban rallies and public meetings of political parties in the state.
“If the commission postpones the polls for now, then it can not take place before September or October in 2022. At that time, the president rule has to be imposed in the states as the term of assembly will get over till the time. The Commission should conduct the elections before decided time in view of the possible third wave,” Singh added.