No talk of postponing polls, Bihar parties raise web campaign expense limits at EC meet

Bihar political parties held a meeting with EC Friday, but did not raise the issue of postponing the upcoming assembly elections.

Headquarters of the Election Commission of India in New Delhi | Suraj Sigh Bisht | ThePrint

New Delhi: Bihar-based political parties didn’t bring up any talk of postponing the assembly elections, scheduled for later this year, at a meeting with the Election Commission Friday, ThePrint has learnt.

Sources privy to the discussions said the parties, instead, discussed other matters raised by the prospect of a largely digital campaign necessitated by the Covid-19 pandemic — regulation of expenditure on digital campaigning, and what they described as the lack of a level playing field on digital mediums. Other issues discussed included further reduction of voters per polling booth to better implement social distancing, the sources added. 

“None of the parties said elections should be postponed,” said a senior commission officer. “On the other hand, they discussed issues like reducing voters at each polling booth even further, how the commission will monitor expenditure limits since all campaigning will happen digitally…The parties also raised concerns regarding digital campaigning and the lack of a level-playing field,” the officer added.

For routine campaigning, the Election Commission has set an expense limit of Rs 28 lakh per candidate for assembly elections. 

Opposition parties like the RJD, the Congress, the Left, and others have been arguing that the concept of digital campaigning “is socially and economically discriminatory” and “violative of a level-playing field in the democratic exercise” as it would exclude a large section of the rural population that has no or limited access to digital connectivity.  

As for the number of electors per polling booth, sources said, some parties told the EC that the number should be reduced from 1,000, which has currently been stipulated by the commission to ensure social distancing. 

After the meeting, the EC asked the political parties to submit their views on “election campaign and public meetings in the situation of Covid-19 pandemic” by 31 July.

Calls to postpone polls

Earlier in the day, however, several parties, including the Congress and its Bihar ally RJD, had written to the Election Commission asking for postponement of the assembly polls, scheduled to be held in October-November this year.

With Covid-19 cases in Bihar on the rise, political parties have been voicing their concerns regarding holding elections on schedule. As of Friday afternoon, the state had recorded 21,764 cases, of which over 14,000 have recovered and 197 have died. The surge in cases has also prompted the state’s Nitish Kumar government to announce a fresh lockdown until 31 July.

Speaking on the possibility of postponement, a second EC officer said, “The EC will keep monitoring the situation… The commission has to be fully prepared, and monitor the ground situation closer to the date.” 

According to the Representation of the People Act, the EC can hold elections any time in the six-month period before the five-year term of the Lok Sabha or a legislative assembly expires.

However, under rare conditions, the EC can use its powers under Article 324 of the Constitution to postpone the elections, after which a state will either come under President’s Rule, or the term of the chief minister will be extended for a period of six months.