Elections in 5 states should be held before scheduled time: TS Singh Deo

New Delhi, Dec 28: Chhattisgarh Health Minister TS Singh Deo said that the elections for the five states should be held before the scheduled date amid the fear of a possible third wave of Covid-19.

"It would not be a right decision to postpone the upcoming assembly election in five states which include Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Manipur. The Election Commission of India should conduct the elections before the scheduled time as there are rising concerns over possible third wave of COVID-19 pandemic," ANI quoted Deo as saying.

Expressing his surprise over Allahabad Court's appeal to the Election Commission of India and Centre for postponing the polls, he said, "There will be more problems if elections are postponed as the positivity rate is still less at present. When the country will be in the middle of the third wave of COVID-19, it will become more difficult to conduct elections,"

On December 24, the Allahabad High Court urged the Election Commission of India to immediately postpone the Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh for 1-2 months while urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the EC to immediately ban rallies and public meetings of political parties in the state.

"If the commission postpones the polls for now, then it can not take place before September or October in 2022. At that time, the president rule has to be imposed in the states as the term of assembly will get over till the time. The Commission should conduct the elections before decided time in view of the possible third wave," he added.

Meanwhile, an ECI team headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra comprising two Election Commissioners Rajiv Kumar and Anup Chandra, Secretary General Umesh Sinha and ten other officials will be on a three-day visit to Lucknow starting from Tuesday to take stock of the preparations for the assembly elections.