Amid the spread of the highly contagious new Covid variant Omicron, India is set to hold assembly elections. Five states- Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur are scheduled
to be held in early 2022 (February-March). During the same period, Omicron-led third wave is likely to peak in India.
These assumptions have raised tensions among health experts and the top poll body.
The Election Commission of India is scheduled to meet Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan on Monday, December 27 to discuss the polls in the midst of Omicron.
The meeting comes ahead of the top poll body's visit to Uttar Pradesh, where an Assembly election will take place in early 2022.
Will elections be postponed?
In the meeting, the election commission of India will examine the Covid situation in the country as well as the need for stringent safety protocols during the upcoming polls in the five
states.
As per the experts, the worst of Omicron would be observed at end of January. By mid-February, the third wave will be on the peak, with over 2 lakh cases being reported daily. At the same
time, crucial assembly elections are scheduled to be held in five states.
The meeting also comes in response to a request from the Allahabad High Court to postpone the state election due to the threat of a third wave of covid infection.
Sushil Chandra, the Chief Election Commissioner on December 24 said, "I will be visiting UP next week. An appropriate decision as required by the situation will be taken after we review
it."
The Allahabad High Court on Thursday urged the top poll body to postpone the February-March election. The court also asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to prohibit political rallies.
"If rallies are not stopped, the results will be worse than the second wave," Justice Shekhar Yadav remarked, adding "Jaan hai toh Jahaan hai (if there is life, we have the
world)" to the Prime Minister's lockdown mantra.
The top polls body, on Monday, will decide whether to postpone elections or not.
Omicron cases in India
The Omicron variant of Covid is far more contagious than the Delta strain, which was responsible for the country's second wave of infections. It's also expected to have more vaccine-evasion
mutations, which is troubling.
Since the variant was initially detected in South Africa in November, India has recorded a total of 422 Omicron Covid cases, according to the Health Ministry. Maharashtra has reported the
highest number of cases i.e. 108, followed by Delhi with 79 cases.
According to official figures by the health ministry, Omicron has been reported in Gujarat (43), Telangana (41), Kerala (38), Tamil Nadu (34), Karnataka (31) and Rajasthan (22). As per the
data, 130 of the 422 patients have been discharged after testing negative.
Amid the rising numbers, India has announced "precaution or booster doses" for front-line workers and those over the age of 60 from January 10, 2022.
In an unplanned address to the country Friday night, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged people to remain cautious in the wake of the Omicron threat. PM Modi also announced that the nationwide
Covid-19 vaccination drive will begin on January 3 for people aged 15 to 18.