New Delhi: Candidates or their brokers is not going to be allowed inside counting halls with out a adverse coronavirus report or with out having each Covid-19 vaccine doses, the Election Commission mentioned Wednesday in its newest tips for counting of votes on May 2. Issued amid spiralling coronavirus circumstances, the rules bar public gatherings outdoors venues in the course of the counting course of, however permit candidates to identify a contemporary agent if the primary one checks constructive for Covid-19. Counting of votes for meeting polls in Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry, apart from numerous different assemblies and Lok Sabha bypolls begins at 8 am on May 2.
“No candidates or brokers will probably be allowed contained in the counting corridor with out present process RT-PCR/RAT take a look at or with out having two doses of vaccination in opposition to Covid-19 and may have to produce adverse RT-PCR report or RAT report or vaccination reviews inside 48 hours of begin of counting,” the guidelines read. The district election officers will organise Covid tests for candidates and their counting agents, it said.
The Madras High Court had earlier this week made harsh observations against the EC for failing to ensure Covid-appropriate behaviour during campaigning. The poll panel has to apprise the high court on April 30 about steps it has taken to ensure a Covid-safe counting process. The fresh EC guidelines go beyond the ones issued by poll panel for the Bihar assembly elections last year which were being used as a template for elections being held during the coronavirus pandemic.
On Tuesday, the poll panel had barred victory processions after counting to check large gatherings amid rising coronavirus cases. It had also restricted the number of people who could accompany the candidate to collect his or her election certificate from the returning officer. As per the latest guidelines, there should be sufficient number of personal protective equipment (PPE) kits for counting agents and candidates. “The counting agents’ sitting arrangement shall be made in such a way that between 2 counting agents 1 agent shall be in PPE,” the rule learn.
The counting corridor, in accordance to the EC, ought to be sufficiently massive to preserve social distancing, and will have correct air flow, home windows, exhaust fan as per accessible protocol of the State Disaster Management Authority. The counting centres ought to be disinfected earlier than, throughout and after the counting, whereas sealed outer packing containers of digital voting machines and paper path machines also needs to be disinfected.
The variety of counting tables to be allowed in a counting corridor ought to be as per the scale of the corridor and conserving in view security norms prescribed for Covid- 19, the Commission mentioned. The counting of votes of a constituency could also be thought of at 3-4 halls by appointing extra assistant returning officers, the EC mentioned.
The employees and safety personnel deployed for counting will probably be supplied with face masks and shields, sanitisers and gloves, it mentioned.
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