Rajya Sabha elections: EC ensures safety to polling staff, postal ballot facility to voters

Apart from ensuring that proper kits will be provided to polling staff and safety measures, including social distancing and use of masks, be made compulsory during the polling, Election Commission of India has also decided to provide postal ballot facilities to the members and voters who are infected by coronavirus and unable to reach polling centre.

New Delhi: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has allowed Chief Electoral Officer of the states to accept postal ballot votes for Rajya Sabha polls if MLAs are finding it difficult to vote due to coronavirus outbreak. Rajya Sabha elections are scheduled to held on June 19.

Around 3 BJP MLA from Gujarat had tested positive for COVID-19. Two of them have been discharged from hospital and before Rajya Sabha polls third will complete his home quarantine.

The postal ballot has been allowed by ECI but the state election commission will have to ensure that complete application and verification procedure is followed strictly.

ECI has also asked State Election Commissions to ensure necessary precautions like observance of social distancing norms, installation of thermal scanners, use of masks by staff, electors taking part in election process and provision of hand sanitizers during the conduct of election process including polling and counting.

The returning officers will have to follow guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The returning officers will also ensure the details of members of Legislative Assembly who have been quarantined (if any) and provide travel plans during the election process for their smooth travel.

Talking to ETV Bharat, Mizoram additional secretary and assistant returning officer Lalhmahruaia Zote said, "We have received a letter from ECI. It has allowed voting through postal ballot after application and verification. We have sent a letter to all MLAs asking if any of them has medical issues related to COVID-19 we can proceed with ECI new instructions."

Apart from providing masks, hand sanitisers and doing thermal scanning the medical team with ambulance will be deployed for any emergency. The polling areas will be sanitized on Thursday as well as on Friday before polls. An isolation room is prepared in case of emergency, he added.

As many as eight states will undergo polling for Friday including Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Rajasthan and Mizoram.