Masks, gloves, PPE kits: How Bihar gears up for the biggest direct election amid Covid-19 pandemic

The EC has announced that Bihar will go to polls in three phases beginning Oct 28

In what could be the world’s largest direct election exercise during the Covid-19 pandemic, Bihar will go to polls prioritizing health and safety of the voters.

The Election Commission on Friday announced that Bihar Assembly Election 2020 will be conducted in three phases, beginning October 28 till November 7.

Read | Bihar to vote between Oct 28 and Nov 7 in first Covid-19 era elections

Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora emphasized that the Election Commission will be thoroughly prepared to conduct elections safely. The elaborate preparations and rules for the polls include distribution of masks, PPE kits and sanitisers. The EC will distribute 23 lakh pairs of gloves, 7 lakh sanitisers, 46 lakh masks and 6 lakh PPE kits and 6.7 lakh units for poll-workers. Besides 7.2 crore single use gloves will be arranged for the voters.

Besides, the EC has decided to cap the poll booth voter count at 1,000 instead of the usual 1,500 to allow for implementation of strict social distancing norms at the poll booths. To insulate the lower voter count at poll booths, the EC has decided to extend the voting times by an hour. The polling will begin at 7 am and end at 6 pm. In LWE-affected areas of Bihar, the EC will conduct polling till 5 pm.

Provisions have been made for Covid-19-infected persons and those suspected of being infected will to vote separately. Besides, the EC has made arrangements for those in in quarantine to cast their ballots at the end of voting time.

Also Read | EC announces dates for Bihar polls: Key things to know

Arora said political parties campaigning for the elections will need to ensure that strict health protocols, especially social distancing, will have to be followed without fail. The EC has prohibited any form of physical contact during the campaign. The election body has also issued list of grounds for public gathering with social distancing.