NE NEWS SERVICE
AHMEDABAD, JAN 29
The Gujarat State Election Commission on Friday issued standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the conduct of local body polls amid the COVID-19 outbreak.
Elections will be held in six municipal corporations, 81 municipalities, 31 district panchayats, and 231 taluka panchayats in the state on February 21 and February 28, respectively.
The SOPs lay down that only five persons will be allowed to go for a door to door campaign apart from security guards, and only five vehicles will be allowed at one time in a roadshow, with other vehicles required to pass through the same spot after half an hour.
It said it will be the responsibility of the political parties to restrict crowds in rallies, and entry and exit points of the rally venues have to be well marked.
A candidate who is infected with COVID-19 will have to campaign only electronically and will not be allowed to campaign in person, it said.
As per the guidelines, temperature guns, masks, social distancing, and the arrangement for proper hand sanitizing will have to be done for any gathering.
The SEC has appointed the state additional director of public health as nodal officer for enforcement of COVID-19 SOPs, while district health officers will be nodal officers for their districts.
