EC defers Rajya Sabha polls scheduled for March 26 in view of coronavirus outbreak

The Election Commission has deferred the polling to fill up the 18 vacancies in the Rajya Sabha in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The polling to elect the 18 members of the Rajya Sabha from Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya and Rajasthan was scheduled to take place on Thursday. Thirty-seven seats in the upper House of Parliament have already been filled up uncontested without requiring polling.

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"The prevailing unforeseen situation of public health emergency indicates the need for avoidance of possibilities of gatherings of any nature, which expose all concerned to possible health hazard," the Election Commission stated in a press release on Tuesday. It noted that the poll process would necessarily include the gathering of polling officials, agents of political parties, support officials and members of respective legislative assemblies on the poll day, which might "not be suitable in view of the prevailing unforeseen situation and related advisories in the country".

The governments of all the states, where the members of the legislative assemblies were to cast votes to elect the representatives to the Rajya Sabha, have already declared lockdown to contain transmission of the COVID-19.

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