The tenure of the Bihar Assembly is set to expire in November.
New Delhi: The Election Commission (EC) is studying the South Korea model for holding elections in India keeping in view the pandemic environment.
The tenure of the Bihar Assembly is set to expire in November and there is speculation how the elections would be conducted as the country is facing a crisis due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In March, the EC had deferred the Rajya Sabha elections to 18 seats due to the outbreak. No fresh dates have been announced yet.
South Korea recently held Parliamentary elections despite the ongoing crisis due to Covid-19 pandemic. Strict voters’ safety measures were introduced to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in the country. It was made mandatory for the voters to wear masks and gloves, their temperature was checked and hands were disinfected on arrival at the polling booth.
South Korea, interestingly, has largely managed to contain the outbreak, reporting just about 10,000 confirmed cases against its population of 51 million. President Moon Jae-in got re-elected after the elections.
EC sources said the Commission is going through the modifications by South Korea in procedures while holding the elections and may take them into consideration. Measures will be taken in consultation with the health authorities and all other stakeholders, said a source, adding “everything will depend on the situation in the coming days”.
Meanwhile, political observers feel that the handling of the pandemic in Bihar could be a major election issue. Bihar would be the first state in the country going for elections after the Covid-19 pandemic. The upcoming Bihar elections assume significance as its outcome will decide whether Nitish Kumar will become the Chief Minister for the fourth time in a row.
Though Nitish Kumar has been in power for about 15 long years and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) fared well in last year’s Lok Sabha elections, how he contains the spread of the virus in Bihar and manages the situation after the pandemic will definitely be a major factor in the outcome of the elections.
Kumar has already been facing flak from the Opposition over the issue of evacuation of students from Kota, and the surge of migrant labourers towards Bihar from Delhi and other parts of the country. Though the Union Ministry of Home Affairs this week allowed the stranded students and labourers to go to their respective places, it remains to be seen how the Bihar government executes the Centre’s plan. Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav has accused the government of lacking in a concrete plan to fight the pandemic.
A senior JDU functionary, however, claimed that the government is trying its best to manage the Covid-19 situation effectively. “The government is trying to make sure that there is no dearth of quarantine centres, testing kits and PPEs for the doctors. We are strictly enforcing social distancing norms all over the state,” he added.
Bihar, this is to be noted, has six testing centers approved by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and three dedicated hospitals for Covid-19. The state government has already transferred Rs 1,000 each to over 1.30 lakh migrant labourers. So far, more than 84 lakh ration card holders in Bihar have been given Rs 1,000 each.
The Election Commission this week announced to hold elections to nine Legislative Council seats in Maharashtra on 21 May, giving Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray an opportunity to become an MLC within the six-month deadline for being elected to either Vidhan Sabha or Vidhan Parishad. The decision was taken following a communication by Chief Secretary, Maharashtra, in which he pointed out the various measures taken to control the Covid-19 pandemic. The state government assured the EC that it is fully committed to ensuring that the elections are held in totally hygienic conditions with social distancing measures and other conditions imposed in the wake of the pandemic.
The tenure of the Bihar Assembly is set to expire in November and there is speculation how the elections would be conducted as the country is facing a crisis due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In March, the EC had deferred the Rajya Sabha elections to 18 seats due to the outbreak. No fresh dates have been announced yet.
South Korea recently held Parliamentary elections despite the ongoing crisis due to Covid-19 pandemic. Strict voters’ safety measures were introduced to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in the country. It was made mandatory for the voters to wear masks and gloves, their temperature was checked and hands were disinfected on arrival at the polling booth.
South Korea, interestingly, has largely managed to contain the outbreak, reporting just about 10,000 confirmed cases against its population of 51 million. President Moon Jae-in got re-elected after the elections.
EC sources said the Commission is going through the modifications by South Korea in procedures while holding the elections and may take them into consideration. Measures will be taken in consultation with the health authorities and all other stakeholders, said a source, adding “everything will depend on the situation in the coming days”.
Meanwhile, political observers feel that the handling of the pandemic in Bihar could be a major election issue. Bihar would be the first state in the country going for elections after the Covid-19 pandemic. The upcoming Bihar elections assume significance as its outcome will decide whether Nitish Kumar will become the Chief Minister for the fourth time in a row.
Though Nitish Kumar has been in power for about 15 long years and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) fared well in last year’s Lok Sabha elections, how he contains the spread of the virus in Bihar and manages the situation after the pandemic will definitely be a major factor in the outcome of the elections.
Kumar has already been facing flak from the Opposition over the issue of evacuation of students from Kota, and the surge of migrant labourers towards Bihar from Delhi and other parts of the country. Though the Union Ministry of Home Affairs this week allowed the stranded students and labourers to go to their respective places, it remains to be seen how the Bihar government executes the Centre’s plan. Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav has accused the government of lacking in a concrete plan to fight the pandemic.
A senior JDU functionary, however, claimed that the government is trying its best to manage the Covid-19 situation effectively. “The government is trying to make sure that there is no dearth of quarantine centres, testing kits and PPEs for the doctors. We are strictly enforcing social distancing norms all over the state,” he added.
Bihar, this is to be noted, has six testing centers approved by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and three dedicated hospitals for Covid-19. The state government has already transferred Rs 1,000 each to over 1.30 lakh migrant labourers. So far, more than 84 lakh ration card holders in Bihar have been given Rs 1,000 each.
The Election Commission this week announced to hold elections to nine Legislative Council seats in Maharashtra on 21 May, giving Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray an opportunity to become an MLC within the six-month deadline for being elected to either Vidhan Sabha or Vidhan Parishad. The decision was taken following a communication by Chief Secretary, Maharashtra, in which he pointed out the various measures taken to control the Covid-19 pandemic. The state government assured the EC that it is fully committed to ensuring that the elections are held in totally hygienic conditions with social distancing measures and other conditions imposed in the wake of the pandemic.
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