UP Election 2022: Allahabad High Court urges PM Modi & EC to stop rallies, delay polls due to Omicron

The Allahabad High Court on Thursday urged the central government to stop political rallies and postpone elections in Uttar Pradesh amid rising cases of the new Omicron variant of Covid-19.

The court said the number of patients infected with Omicron are increasing and there is a possibility of a third wave.

The court cited countries like China, Netherlands, and Germany that have imposed complete or partial lockdowns due to the rising cases.

The gram panchayat elections in Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal Assembly polls also contributed to a rise in infections that led to many deaths due to Covid-19 during the second wave, the court pointed out.

Appreciating Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the Covid-19 vaccination campaign, the court requested him to consider stopping rallies, gatherings and postponing the upcoming state elections, taking strong measures in view of the pandemic situation.

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As the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections are nearing, all the political parties are mobilising lakhs of people by holding rallies and meetings where it is not possible to follow Covid protocols, including social distancing.

The court warned that if this is not stopped in time, the consequences could be more dire than the second wave.

The court requested the Election Commission of India to immediately stop such rallies and gatherings and also order political parties to campaign through TV channels and newspapers.

The court said, if possible, the elections that are expected to be held in February next year could be postponed by a couple of months because only if there is life, then the election rallies and meetings can take place and the right to life has also been given under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution.

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