Vaccinating 80% people in poll-bound states only safe way to hold elections: Prashant Kishor

New Delhi, Jan 07: As Omicron rages through the country, Political strategist Prashant Kishor has urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to vaccinate 80 per cent of people in poll-bound states to hold safe elections.

"EC MUST insist on 2 vaccine doses for at least 80% people in poll-bound states. This is the only SAFE way to hold #elections in the midst of a raging pandemic. Rest everything is HOGWASH. The notion of guidelines for #Covid appropriate behaviour which no one follows is FARCICAL," he tweeted.

The government on Friday termed as misleading media reports stating that the Union Health Health Ministry has suggested to the Election Commission that there is no cause of "alarm or concern in view of very few cases of Omicron in poll-bound states".

These reports have a very high tendency to start a mis-information campaign in the midst of a pandemic," the Union Health Ministry said in a statement.

"Some media reports are suggesting that Union Ministry of Health has in a meeting with the Election Commission of India (ECI) yesterday suggested that the 'Covid situation in the country is nothing to be worried about' and 'there is no cause of alarm or concern in the view of very few cases of Omicron in the poll bound states'. Such reports are highly ill-informed, misleading and far from the truth," the ministry said.

The Union Health Secretary, in his meeting with the ECI on Thursday, presented the overall global and domestic status of spread of Covid, as well as Omicron, in the country.

Details were also presented on status of preparedness of the public health response within the states for control and management of the increasing numbers of Covid cases, the statement said. The focus of the presentation was on poll bound states and their neighbouring states, it added.