DEHRADUN: The Uttarakhand High Court on Wednesday asked the Election Commission of India (ECI) to consider holding virtual rallies and online voting in the upcoming Assembly elections amid exponentially rising cases of Covid-19.
The court also asked the poll panel to come up with instructions in this regard before January 12, the next date of hearing.
Shiv Bhatt, a practising advocate of the Uttarakhand High Court who filed the application to postpone the elections, said: “The honourable court has asked the EC to consider options of virtual rallies and online voting. We urged the court to consider the Covid situation in the country.”
A division bench of Acting Chief Justice Sanjaya Kumar Mishra and Justice Alok Kumar Verma was hearing a group of PILs concerned with the Covid situation. An application was moved by advocate Bhatt last month in these PILs seeking to postpone the elections. The HC had issued notice to the ECI on the plea on December 29, 2021.
The petitioner also told the court that Delhi Chief Minister and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal was tested positive after conducting a massive election rally in Dehradun.
Stating that the new Omicorn variant is spreading approximately 318% faster than the original version of the virus, Bhatt said that considering the inadequacy of medical facilities and medical professionals in the state, it is imperative that either the Assembly election be postponed or the political parties be directed to hold their rallies/meetings online.
“The Assembly election in Uttarakhand is going to be scheduled in the month of February-March, 2022, and for which as on date there are numerous rallies being held by all political parties,” said the petitioner.
