Face Masks, Hand Gloves And PPE Kits To Be Mandatory During Bihar Election 2020: EC New Guidelines 

Patna: Bihar Assembly polls are around the corner and the Election Commission of India (ECI) has now released guidelines for voting amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. According to ECI data, the state of Bihar had 6,62,43,193 registered voters in the 2015 Assembly elections. These electors along with 15,35,767 more voters added to the rolls earlier this year will cast their votes for Bihar’s 243 Assembly seats. As per the EC, registered voters will be provided hand gloves before they head over to the EVM machines to cast their votes. The polling body will also provide face masks and hand sanitizers to voters along with facial PPE kits to children accompanying their parents to the polling booth.

https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1296762317070163969?s=19

The polling body has said that during the process of identification of voters, the voters will be asked to lower the facemask for identification when required. Thermal scanners will also be installed at the entry point of each polling booth to ensure that any symptomatic Covid-19 patient is not allowed to enter. Either polling booth staff or paramedics or Asha workers will be employed for this purpose. Every booth will be mandatorily sanitized, preferably, a day before voting.

A helpdesk will be set up for distribution of tokens to the voter on a first-come-first-serve basis to avoid queues. Markers will also be used to demonstrate social distancing. The help of booth-level workers or volunteers will be sought to enforce the same. If polling agents are found having a temperature above the prescribed limit, then their reliever shall be allowed by Presiding Officer.

For candidates, the process of filing nominations has been moved online to limit unnecessary physical contact. This will also be the first time candidates will have to make the security deposits backing their candidature through online payment.

The EC has also clarified that public meetings and roadshows will be allowed but subjected to containment measures issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to restrict the spread of Covid-19. In addition, the number of persons who can take part in door-to-door campaigning has been limited to five, including the candidate.