Patna:
Several opposition parties of Bihar urged the Election Commission on Friday to assure voters that the upcoming assembly polls, amid the coronavirus pandemic, do not become a “super-spreader event”. They also called up on the poll panel to ensure a free and fair election, while questioning the digital campaign launched by the BJP in Bihar, saying it disturbs the level-playing field. They demanded normal electioneering. They also asked the poll body to restrict the number of voters at each polling station to 250 to ensure physical distancing.
Earlier in the day, nine opposition parties submitted a memorandum to the poll panel, drawing its attention to the COVID-19 situation in Bihar. Later in the evening, they held a virtual meeting with the Commission top brass. Soon after the meeting, the EC sought views of all national and state political parties on framing guidelines for for campaigning “during the pandemic period”. “The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the state badly. In capital city Patna, as many as 89 containment zones and over 16 districts have been put under lockdown for another 15 days with effect from July 16,” the opposition memorandum said.
It also stated the Indian electoral system derives its strength and legitimacy through the institutional mechanisms of the election commission to provide a level playing field for parties and candidates.
“To ignore these mechanisms and conduct the elections as a mere formality to be finished anyhow would be antithetical to the very purpose of the elections and a travesty of the democratic processes. And as it is apprehended a possible Low voter turnout will have an impact on the idea of deepening of democracy,” the memorandum said. Questioning BJP’s digital campaign, they said according to TRAI only a little over half the population has access to mobile phones and only 34% have a smartphone.
“It will be a travesty of unpardonable proportion to officially legitimize a mode of election campaign which is not only severely limited by its reach but exclusionary by its design. Almost two thirds of the electorate will be left out of the process. “Uncaring about this the parties in power have kick started their virtual blitzkrieg while the Election Commission is yet to fix the limit of expenditure of this virtual political campaign,” they said.
Leaders of these parties, including the Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal, CPI, CPI(M), CPI-ML, RLSP and Hindustan Awam Morcha, besides local parties, held a meeting earlier in the day and discussed the issue. The Left parties are not part of the opposition alliance Mahagathbandhan and they did not press for their inclusion during the meeting, sources said.
The opposition parties wondered how the poll panel will ensure physical distancing of at least two yards in a state with a population of around 13 crore and an electorate of 7.5 crore. CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury said the parties have urged the EC to create conditions for usual campaign ensuring maximum voter participation, ensure free and fair elections and create a level-playing field for all contestants. CPI leader D Raja said the parties have questioned the digital campaign of the BJP. “We have asked the EC to allow a normal campaign and create a conducive atmosphere to ensure a free and fair elections,” Raja told PTI.
“We informed the Commission about the ‘serious’ ground situation in the state regarding the pandemic. When we were drafting the memorandum, the detected cases stood at 22,000. When the meeting was on the cases went up to 23,000,” claimed RJD MP Manoj Jha after the meet. “Keeping in mind the physical distancing norms and the polling hours, you cannot manage 1,000. You have to get it down to 250 (voters per polling station),” the RJD MP told PTI.
To ensure social distancing, the poll panel has restricted the number of voters per polling station in Bihar to 1,000. Asked whether they appealed to postpone the assembly polls in view of the pandemic, Jha said no such demand was raised.
“We said right to life is also important. In a democracy, an election is a festival. You cannot have barriers and hindrances in the wholesome participation to that festival,” he said. In a letter to all national and state parties, the EC referred to the “current situation of COVID-19 in the country”. Keeping in mind the Bihar Assembly polls and some by-elections, the poll panel said that it has decided to seek the views of political parties on the issue.
“Accordingly, you are requested to kindly send your views and suggestions latest by July 31, 2020, so that necessary guidelines may be firmed up for the election campaign by candidates or political parties for the conduct of election during pandemic period,” it said in the letter to the parties. In their memorandum, the opposition parties claimed that in an all-party meeting convened recently by the Chief Election Commissioner, the ruling parties had pushed their proposal regarding virtual election campaigns and prohibiting traditional canvassing methods. “According to TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India), only a little over half the population has a mobile phone. Only 34 per cent has a smartphone,” the memorandum said. “Uncaring about this, the parties in power have kickstarted their virtual blitzkrieg while the Election Commission is yet to fix the limit of expenditure of this virtual political campaign,” it alleged.
The term of the current Bihar Assembly ends on November 29 and a new assembly has to be constituted before that..
