Covid vaccination certificates issued in the five poll-bound states will not have Prime Minister Narendra Modi's photo since the model code of conduct has come into force there, an official source said.
The Union Health Ministry will apply necessary filters on the Co-WIN platform to exclude Modi's photo from the vaccine certificate, the source said.
Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur and Goa will be held between February 10 and March 7 in seven phases with the counting of votes on March 10, the Election Commission announced on Saturday.
With the announcement of the schedule, the Model Code of Conduct for governments, candidates and political parties has come into force.
"The Health Ministry will apply necessary filters on the CoWIN platform to exclude the picture of the prime minister from the COVID-19 certificates being given to people in these five poll-bound states because of the model code of conduct coming into force," an official source told PTI.
In March 2021, Health Ministry had taken a similar initiative during the polls held in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Puducherry as suggested by the Election Commission following complaints raised by some political parties.
The Election Commission of India announced that “no roadshow, padyatra, cycle/ bike/ vehicle rally and procession” nor any “physical rally” will be permitted till January 15. Street-corner meetings have been banned altogether.
Any extension to the ban on rallies will be announced on January 16 after taking into consideration the prevalence of Covid in the states.
Violation of the ban could lead to denial of permission for rallies by errant candidates or parties in case the ban is lifted after January 15.
A night campaign curfew has been declared from 8pm to 8am, which will be in place for the entire process of the elections.
Uttar Pradesh, the largest of the poll-bound states, will vote in seven phases with the notification for the first leg being issued on January 14. Manipur will vote in two phases and Punjab, Uttarakhand and Goa in one phase.
Except Punjab, ruled by the Congress, the BJP is in power in the remaining four states. Chandra, the poll panel chief, said polling officials would be vaccinated and booths sanitised.
“Ultimately it is you (the public) who has to protect yourself (from Covid)” — by getting vaccinated, ensuring physical distancing, wearing masks and using hand sanitisers.”
Several leaders have been holding big rallies regardless of the spike in Covid cases. The Congress and AAP have called off rallies in Uttar Pradesh.
“It is our duty to see how to conduct elections that protect both the voter and the vote…. We should have a belief that we can pass through this pandemic also through safety measures and Covid-appropriate behaviour,” Chandra said.
The Election Commission urged parties “ to conduct their campaign as much as possible through digital/ virtual/ media platforms /mobile-based mode instead of physical mode”.
This will give an edge to the BJP, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav said on Saturday. The BJP has a vast online army and unmatched resources when it comes to the use of social media.
The guidelines for the polls issued on Saturday says: “The Commission directs that during electoral process Chief Secretary at State level and District Magistrate at District level shall be primarily responsible for monitoring, supervision and strict enforcement of these Covid guidelines and the guidelines issued by the NDMA (National Disaster Management Authority) and respective SDMA/DDMA (at the state and district levels), whichever is more stringent.”
PTI
