'Surprised' that EC didn't make COVID negative report mandatory for poll officers, CAPF: TMC
New Delhi: A day after the Election Commission announced that candidates or their agents will not be allowed inside counting halls without a negative COVID-19 report, the TMC on Thursday said it is "surprising" that the directions are not applicable to polling officers and Central Armed Police Forces' (CAPF) personnel.
This, the Trinamool Congress said in a letter to the Election Commission, endangers the life and health of thousands of CAPF personnel who will be deployed outside counting halls.
In its latest guidelines issued on Wednesday for the counting of votes for assembly polls in four states and one union territory on May 2, the EC said that candidates or their agents will not be allowed inside counting halls without a negative coronavirus report or without having taken both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine within 48 hours of the start of counting.
Issued amid spiralling coronavirus cases in the country, the guidelines bar public gatherings outside venues during the counting process, but allow candidates to name a fresh agent if the first one tests positive for COVID-19.
"The directions mandate submission of a negative test report of COVID-19 of election agent, counting agent and/or candidate prior to such election agent, counting agent and/or candidate being permitted to enter the counting hall. However, surprisingly no such provision has been made for submission of negative test report of COVID-19 by polling officers present in the counting halls," the TMC said in its letter.
"Further, 23,000-24,000 Central Armed Police Forces' personnel will be deployed outside the counting hall(s) on May 2, 2021. Shockingly, there is an absence of any provision in the directions for use of PPE kits and submission of negative test report of COVID-19 by such CAPF personnel thereby endangering their health and life," it said.
The party further accused the poll panel of being "oblivious" to the safety of life of the CAPF personnel.
According to EC guidelines, district election officers will organise COVID-19 tests for candidates and their counting agents. Further, the TMC demanded that postal ballot votes be counted before those cast on EVMs.
"It is of utmost importance that the counting of votes cast by postal ballot should be completed before the counting of votes cast on the EVM. Due to the large number of votes cast by postal ballot in view of the ongoing pandemic, the postal ballot counting will require additional time...," it said.
"In the circumstances, we call upon you to forthwith address the aforesaid lacunae/inadequacies in the directions and issue appropriate additional directions to address the same," the party said.
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SP has ended contract with I-PAC due to fund constraints: Akhilesh Yadav
Lucknow (PTI): Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday said his party has severed its association with the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) due to a lack of funds.
He dismissed speculations that the termination of contract was because of recent election results.
Addressing a press conference here, Yadav said the party had engaged I-PAC for a brief period ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections but could not continue the arrangement.
"Yes, we had an association. They worked with us for a few months, but we are not able to continue because we do not have that kind of funding," he said.
The I-PAC is a political consultancy firm known for managing major election campaigns across the country.
Election strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor has also been associated with the organisation in the past and has worked with multiple parties, including the BJP and the Congress.
In a lighter vein, Yadav took a swipe at the ecosystem of political consultancies. "We thought that if we have to work with a 'winning agency', then there are several big companies."
He said that some people suggested conducting surveys, hiring another firm, keeping a social media company, and even engaging agencies for negative campaigning against other parties.
"There are one or two more companies whose names are not yet known. I can get those for you as well," Yadav said.
Yadav rejected the suggestion that the decision to end the deal was influenced by recent election outcomes in states such as West Bengal.
"There is no such thing. Do not ask questions based on baseless reports. That is not true," he said.
"This is not the reason for ending the agreement. We simply do not have enough funds. If you (the media) give us funds, we can hire another company," the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said.
