Uttarakhand Assembly Polls: Filing of nomination papers begins, Covid protocol in place

The filing of nomination papers of candidates in the Uttarakhand Assembly Election begins from January 21 and ends on January 28. As per the Covid protocol, only three persons, including the candidate, will be allowed entry to the nomination office.

Haridwar:The filing of nomination papers in Haridwar district began today and for which 11 offices have been earmarked, where filing of papers, checking and scrutiny of documents as well as withdrawal of papers, will be undertaken. The process will continue till January 28.

As per the Covid protocol, only three persons, including the candidate, will be allowed entry to the nomination office. Apart from this, vehicles coming inside the compound of the office will be asked to park them at the designated spot.

District Election Officer Vinay Shankar Pandey said, "At least 11 offices have been set up in Haridwar district to oversee the filing of nomination papers, checking and scrutiny of documents as well as withdrawal of papers. There are 11 assembly seats in Haridwar district, therefore 11 offices have been set up for the purpose."

In Dehradun district, which has 10 Assembly seats, 10 counters have been earmarked for the purpose in the Collectorate premises.

Pandey added, "All returning officers (ROs) and Assistant ROs have been issued necessary instructions and a meeting in this regard with them had already been convened. Besides, representatives from different political parties have also been told about the process." Besides, all the process will be video-recorded.

On the other hand, as per the guidelines issued by the Election Commission of India (ECI), Pandey said that a political gathering of not more than 300 people will be permissible after January 22.

DEO R. Rajesh Kumar said that ROs have been given training by the ECI to oversee the filing of nomination papers and other related process.