India / Everyone on election duty to get COVID-19 vaccine before voting day

New Delhi: All staff on poll duty for the upcoming assembly elections in four states and one Union territory have been declared as ‘frontline workers’ and will be vaccinated against COVID-19 before polling day, the Election Commission announced in press conference on Friday.

While addressing the presser where election dates were declared, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sunil Arora said the nationwide vaccination drive has made the situation more conducive for conducting elections. He added that the Union Health Ministry has declared everyone on poll duty as frontline workers for the purpose of getting vaccinated.

All poll officials will be vaccinated before the elections, the CEC said.

Voting will take place for 126 seats in Assam, 234 in Tamil Nadu, 294 in West Bengal, 140 in Kerala and 30 in Puducherry.

Nearly 18.68 crore electors will be eligible to vote at 2.7 lakh polling stations for 824 seats in five assembly elections, Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora said at a press conference here.

Arrangements will be put in place for candidates to file their nominations online for the five assembly polls. Voting will be allowed for an additional hour, keeping in mind COVID-19 safety guidelines, he said.

Also, webcasting arrangements will be in place at polling stations in critical and vulnerable areas, while adequate CAPF (Central Armed Police Forces) deployment will be ensured for the assembly polls, Arora said. All critical and vulnerable areas have been identified and advance teams have been already deployed across all four states and one union territory Puducherry going to the polls, he added.

Arora said door-to-door campaigning will be restricted to five persons, including the candidate, while roadshows will be allowed with a maximum of five vehicles.