THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In the wake of the worsening COVID-19 crisis, the State Election Commission will convene a meeting of top officials of the state health department soon to decide on various precautions to be taken for the local body polls scheduled to be held in mid-October.
State Election Commissioner V Bhaskaran told The New Indian Express that the meeting will deliberate on the steps to be taken regarding implementation of the COVID-19 protocol once the local body election declaration is issued. "We will seek the opinion of the health department on the various measures to be adopted inside the polling booths for the safety of polling officials as well as voters," he said.
The local body elections are slated for mid-October but the exact time-frame will be decided after seeking the views of the health department, he added. Once the election declaration is issued, the Model Code of Conduct will also come into effect.
Officials of the state poll panel said preparations for the election have been adversely affected due to the COVID-19 related restrictions in many parts of the state, including in the state capital Thiruvananthapuram where the commission is headquartered.
State Election Commission personnel who are deployed from various districts are already engaged in COVID-19 prevention efforts. The training of polling officials also needs to be conducted in the midst of the pandemic. Local body elections in the state are tentatively scheduled for mid-October as new committees have to assume office by November 12.