EC extends ban on roadshows, vehicle rallies for polls; relaxes norms for indoor and outdoor political meets

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, February 6

Relaxing further the Covid-19 norms for campaigning in the five poll-bound states, the Election Commission decided to do away with the absolute number restriction of 1,000 people on Sunday in open ground for physical rallies and instead allowed political parties and candidates to hold such events with 30 percent of the capacity of the designated place.

In an order issued on Sunday, the Election Commission said: “Restrictions regarding outdoor meeting/indoor meetings/rallies will be further relaxed subject to the condition that the number of persons attending the indoor/outdoor meetings/rallies will be limited to maximum of 50 percent of the capacity of Indoor halls and 30 percent of the open ground capacity or as fixed by District Electoral Officer (DEO) as per requirement of the social distancing norms and whichever is less”.

The poll panel, however, has decided to extend the ban on roadshows, ‘padyatras’, cycle, and vehicle rallies.

The maximum number of persons permissible for door-to-door campaigning fixed at 20 will remain as before and the ban on campaign between 8 pm and 8 am would also continue as before, the poll panel said.

Assembly polls are scheduled in five states of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Manipur and Punjab. Results for these assemblies would be announced on March 10.