Officials on poll duty to be treated as frontline workers, vaccinated: CEC

Assembly elections in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Puducherry and Assam will be held this year.

Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora

CHIEF ELECTION Commissioner Sunil Arora on Sunday said all officials who will be engaged in assembly elections duty would be reckoned as frontline workers and would be vaccinated for Covid-19 on priority.

“On the recommendation of the Election Commission, the Union Health Ministry had issued orders that all officials on election duty would be treated as frontline workers and would be vaccinated on priority,’’ Arora told reporters after meeting representatives of political parties and senior officials in the state.

Assembly elections in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Puducherry and Assam will be held this year.

Arora said considering the Covid-19 situation, the number of voters in polling booths would be brought down to 1,000 and more polling booths would be arranged. “Apart from 25,000 booths, there would be an additional booths of 15,000 in Kerala taking into account the Covid-19 situation in the state.’’

He said the schedule of the elections would be fixed only after considering the opinions raised by political parties, availability of central forces, examinations and local festivals. “All political parties have pointed out about the festivals of Vishu, Easter and Ramadan in the month of April. We told them that the Commission would take all these factors into account before fixing the election schedule,” he said.

The CEC said nominations can be submitted online. For offline submission of nominations, only two persons would be allowed and for vehicle rally only five vehicles would be permitted.

Shaju Philip

Shaju Philip is a Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, where he leads the publication's coverage from Kerala. With over 25 years of experience in mainstream journalism, he is one of the most authoritative voices on the socio-political, religious, and developmental landscape of South India. Expertise, Experience, and Authority Decades of Regional Specialization: Shaju has spent more than two decades documenting the "Kerala Model" of development, its complex communal dynamics, and its high-stakes political environment. Key Coverage Beats: His extensive reporting portfolio includes: Political & Governance Analysis: In-depth tracking of the LDF and UDF coalitions, the growth of the BJP in the state, and the intricate workings of the Kerala administration. Crime & Investigative Journalism: Noted for his coverage of high-profile cases such as the gold smuggling probe, political killings, and the state’s counter-terrorism efforts regarding radicalization modules. Crisis Management: He has led ground-level reporting during major regional crises, including the devastating 2018 floods, the Nipah virus outbreaks, and the Covid-19 pandemic response. ... Read More

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram

Tags:
Sunil Arora