Keypoints:
- From March 27, Assembly elections will begin in West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Kerala
- The results for these elections will be announced on May 2.
- Election Commission has said that the bike rallies could be misused.
- Election Commission has asked to ensure strict compliance of the given directions.
On Monday, the Election Commission banned ‘bike rallies’. This has been done 72 hours before the polling date.
A directive has been issued to the chief electoral officers of poll-bound West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Assam and Puducherry which said that the poll body pointed out that it has been brought to its notice that “in some places bikes are used by anti-social elements to intimidate the voters before the poll day and/or on poll day.”
The Commission has decided that “bike rallies shall not be allowed at any place 72 hours before date of poll or on the poll day in all poll-going constituencies,” the directive said.
All the chief electoral officers have been asked by the Election Commission to inform all the concerned stake holders including candidates, political parties and the Commission’s observers, to ensure strict compliance of the directions.
The five assemblies election will take place on 27 March to which the results will be announced on May 2.
The note issued on Monday said that, “It has been brought to the notice of the Commission that in some places bikes are used by some antisocial elements to intimidate the voters before the poll day and/or on poll day,” said the letter which has been signed by under secretary Sanjeev Kumar Prasad of ECI. “Kindly inform all concerned stakeholders including candidates/political parties and Commission’s observers for strict compliance.”
In the last few week, Trinamool Congress and Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) have held bike rallies in Bengal. Meanwhile, on March 7, Assam Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also kicked off the BJP’s campaign in the state with a bike rally.
