U.P. panchayat poll: Social distancing norms go for a toss during counting
The Hindu
In some districts, supporters of the candidates also assembled near the centres in large numbers despite warnings by the State Election Commission
Social distancing norms to curb the COVID-19 infection appeared to go for a toss in Uttar Pradesh’s centres where votes for the panchayat polls are being counted on Sunday. Visuals from various districts such as Azamgarh, Siddharthnagar, Jaunpur, Sultanpur, Amethi, Jalaun, Fatehpur, Gonda and Sitapur showed a large number of people gathering outside or lining up at the gates of the counting centres in close physical proximity to each other. People were seen very close to each other in the long queues. In some districts, supporters of the candidates also assembled near the centres in large numbers despite warnings by the State Election Commission (SEC).The election authorities are gearing up for the counting of votes cast in the simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh, scheduled to be held on June 4. The Collectors and Election Officers of Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli and Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) districts said on May 23 (Thursday) that their teams were ready for the counting of votes.
Responding to the prolonged water scarcity, the residents of the area took to the streets in protest on Wednesday. The protest, which drew attention to their plight, stopped only after the intervention of the police. It was not until 1.30 p.m. that a 4000-litre tanker was finally delivered by BWSSB, providing relief to the water-starved residents.