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Journalism of Courage
The Election Commission (EC) on Sunday rejected the demand for early commencement of voting — at 5 am instead of 7 am — for the remaining poll phases considering the heat wave and the onset of Ramzan month.
The poll panel, in its detailed six-page order, stated that voting hours and dates, at the time of election planning, are fixed only after taking several factors into consideration, including weather conditions. In fact, the Commission, the order states, decided to start polling at 7am so that voters can start polling before it gets too hot.
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Commencement of polling at 5 am, the Commission said, is not feasible for several reasons. For starters, it would affect pre-poll activities such as the. mock poll. Currently, the EC has set aside one hour of mock polling before the actual voting begins. If voting were to begin at 5 am, then the mock poll would have to start at 4 am. This would, in turn, mean other pre-poll preparations would have to start at 3 am and wind up at 4 am.
“In several places polling goes on late into the night for those who have reached the polling station at the hour fixed for close of poll. Therefore, starting the poll at 5 am, as proposed by you, would mean that the polling parties would be required to work in polling stations for not less than 18-20 hours, which will not only affect the quality of work but also will not be humanely possible for the officials,” reads EC’s order on the plea filed by Mohammed Nizamuddin Pasha, an advocate.
The Commission’s order came after the Supreme Court last week asked it to pass appropriate order on Pasha’s plea.
