Congress' TS Deo urges Election Commission to prepone 2022 Assembly polls amid COVID scare

While India continues to face rising cases of Omicron variant ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections, senior Congress leader and Chhattisgarh Health Minister TS Singh Deo has suggested that the Election Commission of India conducts the Assembly polls earlier than the scheduled time.

While speaking to ANI, Minister TS Singh Deo said that postponing the upcoming assembly elections in the five states will not be the right decision as there are rising concerns over a possible third wave of COVID-19 pandemic.

Further expressing his surprise over the Allahabad High Court's appeal to the Election Commission for postponing the Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh for the next one or two months, he said that more problems arise if the elections are postponed as the positivity rate is still less at this moment.

"When the country is in the middle of the third wave of COVID-19, it will become more difficult to conduct elections", he said. He further added that the elections would not be able to take place before September or October in 2022 if the polls are postponed for now and that President's rule will have to be imposed in the states as the Assembly terms would be over by then. "The commission shall conduct the elections before the decided time in view of the possible third wave", Singh said.

Also, speaking about the necessary Covid precautions, the senior Congress leader said that there is a need to follow proper guidelines while carrying election rallies. He said that massive rallies must be avoided and only those having both the doses of COVID-19 vaccines should be allowed in the election campaigns and release.

Notably, the five states which are all set to go into elections early next year include Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Punjab, Uttarakhand, and Manipur.

Election Commission meets Health Ministry over Covid situation ahead of Assembly polls

Earlier on Monday, the Election Commission also held a meeting with the Union Health Ministry over the prevailing COVID-19 situation and the vaccination coverage, especially for the five states going for assembly elections in 2022. Also, Union Health secretary Rajesh Bhushan, who was present at the meeting, apprised the commission of the situation. Meanwhile, another meeting will be called in January next year for a comprehensive and detailed review of the situation.

Image: ANI/PTI