The Election Commission of India is scheduled to meet Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan on Monday. The meeting comes ahead of the top poll body's visit to Uttar Pradesh, where an
Assembly election will take place in early 2022.
Amid the scare of new covid variant Omicron, the commission will examine the state's Covid situation as well as the need for stringent safety protocols during the upcoming polls in UP
and four other states.
The key meet will be held one day before the top polling body's three-day visit to Uttar Pradesh.
The meeting also comes in response to a request from the Allahabad High Court to postpone the state election due to the threat of a third wave of covid infection likely to be triggered by
Omicron.
Sushil Chandra, the Chief Election Commissioner on December 24 said, "I will be visiting UP next week. An appropriate decision as required by the situation will be taken after we review
it."
The Allahabad High Court on Thursday urged the top poll body to postpone the February-March election. The court also asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to prohibit political rallies.
"If rallies are not stopped, the results will be worse than the second wave," Justice Shekhar Yadav remarked, adding "Jaan hai toh Jahaan hai (if there is life, we have the
world)" to the Prime Minister's lockdown mantra.
Five states - Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur - are scheduled to hold elections in early 2022. Meanwhile, the health experts have predicted that the third wave of covid
infection might be at peak during February- March period (during which polls are scheduled).
The Omicron variant of Covid is far more contagious than the Delta strain, which was responsible for the country's second wave of infections. It's also expected to have more vaccine-evasion
mutations, which is troubling.
Since the variant was initially detected in South Africa in November, India has recorded a total of 415 Omicron Covid cases, according to the Health Ministry.
Maharashtra has 108 Omicron cases followed by Delhi, with 79. Only three states, all of which are holding Assembly elections in the next two to three months, have reported cases of the new
strain: Gujarat has 43, Uttar Pradesh has two, and Uttarakhand has one.