On Poll Duty amid Covid Surge, UP Primary Teachers Urge EC to Postpone Panchayat Elections

Lucknow: After scores of state employees on poll duty tested positive for COVID-19, the Uttar Pradesh Primary Teacher Trained Graduate Association (PSPSA) has appealed to the Election Commission and State Election Commission (SEC) to postpone the remaining two phases of the Panchayat elections. The Association has stated that the election could become a “super spreader" event amid the recent surge in coronavirus cases in the state. 

The PSPSA said the election needs to be postponed before it leads to a tragedy. The union has written a letter to the government demanding that the polling personnel who have tested COVID positive on duty should be provided with free medical facilities to them and their family members. They also demanded the government to declare them as frontline workers and provide Rs 50 lakh insurance cover for those who died of COVID. 

PSPSA president Vinay Kumar Singh and general secretary Ashutosh Mishra informed that employees of all departments in every district of the state, along with officers and 80% of the council teachers are performing their duties as election personnel. The COVID protocol was not followed during their training, they said.

"There was no thermal screening and sanitisation of voters at the polling booths in the previous two phases. After the first two rounds of voting, thousands of polling personnel have also tested COVID positive and many of them have died but the government did not pay heed towards their grievances. Given the seriousness of the situation, the election should be postponed later when the situation becomes normal," the union told Newsclick. 

Vinay Kumar Singh of PSPSA said, "During the first and second phase of polling, the mandatory COVID protocols went for a toss; no social distancing, poor adherence to mask discipline were a common sight at every polling booth. There was always a fear that the corona infection will reach villages if people living in big cities like Mumbai, Delhi and Ahmedabad return to cast their votes in Panchayat elections," said Singh. 

Over 2.31 lakh state employees have reportedly been deployed as poll official by the State Election Commission for the smooth conduct of the Panchayat elections. 

Veteran Communist Party of India (CPI) leader Atul Anjan has been very vocal on panchayat elections. He urged Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath not to allow panchayat polls amid the pandemic. He said that the Panchayat elections could be a "super spreader" event amid the pandemic as a large number of people were returning to their villages from big cities to participate in polls.

The CPI leader cited the observations of the Allahabad High Court that the state had enough to spend on elections and very little for public health; VIPs were getting RT-PCR report in 12 hours and ordinary citizens were waiting for the same for three days. The government knew of the magnitude of the second wave but it never made necessary plans in advance, Anjan said, adding that it was a sad reflection of the functioning of the state government.

THIRD PHASE ON APRIL 26 

The third phase of the panchayat elections is scheduled to be held on April 26. Meanwhile, the mutation of the virus and high number of fresh cases every day are adding to the panic among employees posted on poll duties. In most of the districts, the employees have sent applications saying they should be relieved of election duties. Some employees wanted to take leave after complaining of health issues including fever, cough and etc. while some have asked for exemption from duty by claiming that their family members are infected with COVID-19. 

On the other hand, the employees' organisation officials say that the elections should be postponed at any cost as there has been no adherence to the COVID protocol during election duty and the lives of the employees are in danger.

Newsclick has earlier reported that state government employees association  had appealed to CM Yogi Adityanath to focus on fighting COVID-19 rather than deputing resources for the conduct of panchayat elections and demanded for postponing the remaining phase. 

The president of the State Employees Joint Council, Harikishor Tiwari told Newsclick earlier that he had discussed the situation through video conferencing with employees who were deputed for the panchayat elections. After the meeting, the union also wrote a letter to the Governor, Chief Minister, and the State Election Commissioner, urging them not to hold elections amid the raging pandemic. 

Meanwhile, the third phase elections is to be held on April 26 in 20 districts of the state. Preparations are in full swing at the administrative level. The problem is that the administration is finding it difficult to meet polling parties at this time. The third phase of UP Panchayat elections consists of 20 districts, including Shamli, Meerut, Moradabad, Pilibhit, Kasganj, Firozabad, Auraiya, Kanpur Dehat, Jalaun, Hamirpur, Fatehpur, Unnao, Amethi, Barabanki, Balrampur, Siddharth Nagar, Deoria, Chandauli, Mirzapur and Ballia. 

As far as the Gram Panchayats are concerned, there are 1,21,906 candidates for 14,897 posts. For the Gram Panchayat wards, there are as many as 1,30,305 candidates for 1,87,781 posts.

In view of the coronavirus situation, the SEC had said last month that not more than five people would be allowed to accompany a candidate during door-to-door campaigning for the Panchayat elections. However, many villagers Newsclick spoke to said that the candidates were not following any COVID protocol leave aside voters.