The question now arises: Can Goa afford to hold Assembly elections in the current scenario?
Agreed, the surge could be attributed to the State’s lavish Christmas and New year celebrations, wherein the tourists were seen moving around without mask and social distancing.
However, the State Chief Minister, Dr Pramod Sawant, refused to impose restrictions as it would hurt the tourism sector.
Now amidst the rising cases, the State is witnessing huge political rallies for the forthcoming assembly polls,
We all know what happened last year when the second wave of COVID-19 was also spread by the negligence committed by the people of India during the election held in 4 States, namely Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal and one Union Territory, namely Puducherry.
SURAJ NANDREKAR
Editor, Goemkarponn
The All India Bar Association (AIBA), on Sunday, sent a representation to the Election Commission of India requesting to defer the upcoming elections in Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand due to spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.
Senior Advocate Dr Adish C Aggarwala, Chairman of AIBA stated that nowadays, in election rallies, a very large number of people are gathering without adhering to Covid protocols. The representation stated that if the elections in these States are not postponed until Omicron COVID-19 is over, then lakhs of people will die in India despite the best efforts of the Central Government and State Governments, similar to what happened during the second wave of COVID-19.
Considering the situation in Goa today, the cases have gone up manifolds. From the positivity rate of 1.5 per cent to 26.43 per cent, within a span of a few days, is a shocking surge.
The question now arises: Can Goa afford to hold Assembly elections in the current scenario?
Agreed, the surge could be attributed to the State’s lavish Christmas and New year celebrations, wherein the tourists were seen moving around without mask and social distancing.
However, the State Chief Minister, Dr Pramod Sawant, refused to impose restrictions as it would hurt the tourism sector.
Now amidst the rising cases, the State is witnessing huge political rallies for the forthcoming assembly polls,
We all know what happened last year when the second wave of COVID-19 was also spread by the negligence committed by the people of India during the election held in 4 States namely Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal and one Union Territory namely Puducherry.
While the Bar Council has demanded postponement, the Supreme Court had dismissed a similar petition seeking to defer the Bihar assembly elections till the State is free of the novel coronavirus stating that the ongoing pandemic cannot be a ground for postponement of polls.
“How can we ask the Election Commission of India (ECI) to not hold elections? COVID cannot be a valid ground for postponement of elections,” the bench stated.
Petitioner Avinash Thakur had sought a direction to the Chief Election Commissioner to postpone the polls due to the COVID-19 pandemic on the ground that the Representation of the People Act provides for the deferment of polls in extraordinary situations.
While the SC has declined to intervene, elections globally have been postponed due to the pandemic.
From February 21, 2020, to December 31, 2021, at least 80 countries and territories across the globe have decided to postpone national and subnational elections due to COVID-19, out of which at least 42 countries and territories have decided to postpone national elections and referendums.
So why not elections in India be postponed for the safety of citizens? Are elections bigger than people’s lives?
Goa was the worst affected by the pandemic last year as its positivity rate was the highest amongst all States, and this year too, is no different.
Though the Chief Minister and the Health Minister Vishwajit Rane have boasted about the health infrastructure, we have seen how 1729 lives were lost in one month of May due to a shortage of Oxygen, ventilated beds and medicines.
Instead of seeking an opinion from the State government, the Election Commission of India would do well to take an independent opinion of the doctors and experts on whether to hold elections at this juncture or not.
Alongwith the businesses, the worst affected due to pandemic were the students in Xth, XIIth and graduation levels. Since 2020, there have been no proper exams, and it is a big setback for the students who want to do well in academics.
No matter how much the ECI or the courts intervene and caution teh political leaders, they will continue to hold election rallies, which could be catastrophic for Goa in the current scenario.
