UP Panchayat Election 2021: Phase 2 voting tomorrow; 11,483 candidates in fray for zila panchayats, 1.22 lakh for gram panchayats

UP Panchayat Election 2021

PTI reports that more than 2.31 lakh poll officials have been deployed by the State Election Commission (SEC) for a smooth conduct of the panchayat polls. In the first phase of the polls held on April 15, an average polling percentage of 71 was recorded. The last panchayat polls held in 2015 had registered a polling percentage of 72.11.

In view of the Covid-19 situation, the state commission had said last month that not more than five people would be allowed to accompany a candidate during door-to-door campaigning for the panchayat elections. According to PTI, additional election commissioner Ved Prakash Verma said that the three-member teams were formed under the additional district magistrates to ensure that the directives issued by the commission were being followed.

At the district level, the chief medical officers have been made the nodal officers and stress has been laid on infection prevention. Voters will have to wear masks and maintain social distancing at the polling booths. The commission has also issued instructions to make circles maintaining a distance of six feet between the voters standing in the queue. The social distancing norms would also be followed during the counting of votes and personal protective equipment kits would be arranged according to the requirements.