Assembly polls: Election Commission allows political parties to hold indoor meetings with maximum of 300 persons or 50% of capacity of hall

Assembly polls: Election Commission allows political parties to hold indoor meetings with maximum of 300 persons or 50% of capacity of hall

FPJ Web DeskUpdated: Saturday, January 15, 2022, 07:36 PM IST
article-image
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sushil Chandra |

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday allowed the political parties of the five poll-bound states to hold indoor meetings with a maximum of 300 persons or 50% of the capacity of the hall. However, the poll panel further extended the ban imposed by it on public rallies and roadshows in the five poll-bound states till January 22 amid rising COVID-19 cases.

"ECI extends ban on physical rallies and roadshows until 22 January, 2022. ECI grants relaxation for the political parties to the extent that indoor meetings of maximum of 300 persons or 50% of the capacity of the hall or the prescribed limit set by SDMA," tweeted ECI spokesperson.

"ECI directs political parties to adhere to the provisions of MCC and the broad guidelines of COVID. ECI directs State/ District Administration to ensure compliance of all instructions related to MCC and COVID," read another tweet.

This comes after ECI today met with Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan and the principal health secretaries of the five poll-bound states to decide if the ban imposed by it on public rallies and road shows should continue.

According to reports, the Union health secretary and the principal health secretaries unanimously told the ECI that the pace of COVID-19 infection has not gone down yet. However, the intensity of infection of the Omicron variant is not as deadly as that of Delta but it won't be right to give any relaxation right now, they said.

Earlier on January 8, while announcing the poll schedule for Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Punjab, and Manipur, the poll panel had taken an unprecedented step by banning public rallies, roadshows and similar physical campaigning events till January 15 in view of rising COVID-19 cases.

RECENT STORIES

Uttar Pradesh News: Manappuram Finance Files FIR Against 5 Employees In ₹43 Lakh Fake Gold Scam

Uttar Pradesh News: Manappuram Finance Files FIR Against 5 Employees In ₹43 Lakh Fake Gold Scam

PM Modi's Third Term: 602 Hate Crimes, 345 Hate Speeches Logged; 180 Cases In 2 Months After...

PM Modi's Third Term: 602 Hate Crimes, 345 Hate Speeches Logged; 180 Cases In 2 Months After...

Allahabad High Court Dismisses Plea Challenging Keshav Prasad Maurya’s Degree For Second Time

Allahabad High Court Dismisses Plea Challenging Keshav Prasad Maurya’s Degree For Second Time

Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav Slams UP Govt For Land Grabs, Cultural Destruction In Ayodhya &...

Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav Slams UP Govt For Land Grabs, Cultural Destruction In Ayodhya &...

Uttar Pradesh News: Yamuna Water Level Rises In Agra After Heavy Discharge From Gokul Barrage

Uttar Pradesh News: Yamuna Water Level Rises In Agra After Heavy Discharge From Gokul Barrage