Key Points:
- The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday banned all victory processions on or after vote counting on May 2 seeing the rise in coronavirus cases in the country.
- Not more than two persons shall be allowed to accompany the winning candidate or his/her authorized representative receive the certificate of election.
- The Madras HC said to the Election Commission on Monday, “Your institution is singularly responsible for the second wave of COVID-19. Your officers should be booked on murder charges probably…”
A day after the Election Commission was almost accused of Murdering individuals by the Madras High Court, as it did not stop parties from doing rallies despite an Emergency-like situation in the country, it announced, on Tuesday, that there will be no Victory Processions after the votes are counted on May 2.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday banned all victory processions on or after vote counting on May 2 seeing the rise in coronavirus cases in the country.
The Election Commission issued an order to the chief electoral officers of all states and union territories that it has decided to roll out stricter provisions, to be followed during the process of vote-counting.
Not just this but the Election Commission has also capped the number of people allowed to accompany the winner of the election to go and get the election certificate to two. The decisions, EC said, were taken in “view of the rise in Covid-19 cases throughout the country”.
The Election Commission had given a decision to cut short the timings of campaigns for the remaining phases and extended the silence period to 72 hours for each of the phases.
“No victory procession after the counting on 2.5.2021 shall be permissible. Not more than two persons shall be allowed to accompany the winning candidate or his/her authorized representative receive the certificate of election from the Returning Officer concerned,” the EC letter noted the new protocols on the vote-counting day keeping in view the Covid-19 situation.
The Madras High Court, on Monday, criticized the Election Commission for “not stopping political parties” from violating Covid protocols during their campaign rallies last month.
The Madras HC also said to the Election Commission that, “Your institution is singularly responsible for the second wave of COVID-19. Your officers should be booked on murder charges probably…Were you on another planet when the election rallies were held?”
The Madras High Court order also said that “at no cost can counting become a catalyst for a further surge”.
