Amid fall in Covid cases, EC eases campaign curbs in UP, Manipur

NEW DELHI: With a sharp fall in Covid cases in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh and Manipur, the Election Commission (EC) on Tuesday dispensed with its 50% attendance cap for rallies and public meetings, allowing roadshows, even as the pandemic norms of the state disaster management authority (

SDMA

) will apply.

An EC order said political parties and candidates can hold meetings and rallies without the restriction of using only 50% of the venue space but subject to SDMA regulations. SDMA norms will also be applicable to roadshows, which may be organised with prior permission of the district authorities.

The latest relaxations in EC’s Covid curbs for campaigning came after updated information received from the Union health secretary put the number of daily cases in the country at 13,400, down from 3.47 lakh on January 21, 2022. In UP and Manipur, in particular, the daily cases have declined to just 500 from the peak of 16,700 cases recorded on January 22, 2022.