Special arrangements must be made for voters affected by COVID-19 during the poll (representation)
Bhubaneswar:
COVID-19 patients will be allowed to vote in by-elections to the two assembly seats in Odisha, officials said on Wednesday.
The decision was made during a meeting between Chief Electoral Officer S K Lohani and collectors and police chiefs from Balasore and Jagatsinghpur districts where the bypolls will take place, they said.
Special arrangements will be made for voters affected by COVID-19 during elections such as the isolation center and those voters would be allowed to cast their vote at the last hour of voting, an official statement quoted Mr. Lohani said. . On September 4, the Election Commission decided to conduct by-elections to fill the 64 vacant positions in the country’s various state assemblies as well as the Bihar assembly elections by November 29, officials said. .
The two segments of the assembly in Odisha – Balasore in Balasore district and Tirtol in Jagatsinghpur district – are on that list and will go to the polls on that date, they said.
The deputies of these two seats died due to the need for by-elections. While the seat of Balasore Sadar was held by the BJP, the seat of Tirtol was won by the BJD in the last elections.
At the review meeting, it was also decided that the number of voters per stand would be capped at 1,000 to ensure social distancing, Mr. Lohani said.
Polling stations with more than 1,000 voters will be divided and auxiliary voting booths will be created by district election officers (DEO) in consultation with representatives of political parties, he said.
All those associated with by-elections must comply with COVID-19 guidelines, use masks to come and vote, and follow standards for hand sanitization and social distancing at polling stations, Mr. Lohani said.
Noting that the date of the by-election can be declared by the Election Commission at any time, the CEO ordered the DEO to follow COVID-19 guidelines while making the necessary arrangements for the polls.
The Director-General also carried out a detailed review of the preparatory activities for the deployment and the training program for the poll workers, the arrangement of the vehicles, the security arrangements, the vault, the dispersal center and the rooms. counting.
(Except for the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
