Express News Service
LUCKNOW: Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sushil Chandra on Thursday said the UP Assembly elections would take place as per the schedule as all the political parties in the state wanted so.
The poll notification is likely to be announced in the first week of January, according to the CEC.
CEC Chandra was interacting with reporters on conclusion of the three-day visit of the full bench of poll panel to review the state’s poll preparedness on Thursday.
He said the representatives of all the political parties had met Commission officials and urged them to hold the polls in time with Covid-19 protocols strictly in place.
The CEC said that he also got the suggestions from the political parties over putting restrictions on public rallies and contact campaigns in the wake of rising COVID cases.
Chandra added that the final voter list would be released on January 5 and additions to it could be done on the request of the eligible voters. He announced that the commission had decided to increase the voting time by an hour from 8 am to 6 pm on the date of polling.
Giving the benefit of age to the octogenarians, the Commission claimed that it would facilitate voting by elderly reaching their doorstep if they could not come to polling booth. “Same facility would be extended to differently able persons and those affected by coronavirus at the time of voting,” said CEC Sushil Chandra.
“VVPATs will be installed at all voting booths. Live webcasting facilities will be available at around 1 lakh voting booths to ensure transparency in the election process,” said Chandra.
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Appreciating the rise in number of voters, the CEC said that owing to the awareness campaigns, number of women voters has been more than the men this time. “Nearly, 28.86 lakh new women voters have been enrolled which is five lakh more than their male counterparts the number of whom stands at 23.92 lakh,” the CEC said.
Sharing more details, the CEC said that in all 52.8 lakh new voters were added to the electoral rolls. “Around 19.89 lakh new voters fall in the age group of 18-19 years which means that they would be the first time voters in these elections,” said Chandra.
He also appreciated the increase of women voters in the gender ratio from 839 in 2017 to 868 in 2021. He stressed on increasing the polling percentage in a politically vibrant state like UP. “In 2017, 61 per cent people had cast their vote, in 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the percentage came down to 59. This is high time that this percentage goes up as UP is considered to be politically much aware,” said the CEC.
The Omicron variant of the coronavirus has increased concern around holding the electoral exercise in Uttar Pradesh and four other states next year.
The CEC said that in the wake of a jump in the number of voters and the prevailing pandemic conditions, 11,000 additional polling booths would be set up across UP to avert crowding. The Election Commission will also set up 10 model booths in every Assembly segment this time.
“There will also be an increase in the number of polling personnel and the time of voting would also be increased by an hour to avoid crowding at the polling stations,” said the CEC.
Expressing concern over the surge in COVID cases, the CEC said that he had asked the health authorities concerned to complete 100 per cent vaccination of at least the first dose of the eligible voting population. UP has around 15 crore electorate.
The CEC also urged the authorities concerned to include poll personnel and those on poll duties in the frontline warriors’ category and ensure that they were fully vaccinated by the time elections were held in the state.
“Even those who have been given both the doses, should be given boosters before the elections,” said the CEC.
