A wake-up call

Assam needs to take seriously the new set of COVID-19 guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs to ensure that the elections to the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) in December and ensuing 2021 Assembly polls in April-May do not result in the pandemic curve peaking again. The Ministry of Home Affairs have asked the State and the Union Territories to strictly enforce containment measures and allow only essential activities in the containment zones. The MHA guidelines, which will come into effect on December 1, require the States to strictly enforce the Standard Operating Procedures, COVID appropriate behaviours and regulate crowd. Unfortunately, the Assam State Election Commission (SEC) has failed to play pro-active active role in enforcing the COVID-19 restriction in election rallies by political parties and candidates in BTC. It is the duty of the State Government to enforce the COVID-safety norms in public rallies. However, the electioneering forming part of the election process, the SEC can always impress upon the State government to ask the Deputy Commissioners and Superintendents of Police in four Bodoland Territorial Region districts of Kokrajhar, Baksa, Chirang, and Udalguri to enforce the restrictions. It is expected that the commission would convene a meeting of all political parties to impress upon them to ensure adherence to norms during electioneering so as not to put people in BTR to risks of COVID-19 infection. The SEC's move to set up auxiliary polling booths and other measures to prevent spread of COVID-19 infection during polling is laudable. However, if the election rallies are allowed to be held in violation of the COVID-19 safety protocols of physical distancing norms and mandatory wearing of facemasks, the objective of COVID-19 safety measures during polling can counting will be defeated. Ironically, the SEC deferred the BTC polls when there was not a single positive case in Bodoland Territorial Region. Indifference of the Health and Family Welfare Department to violation of the safety norms of by the political parties, ruling as well as opposition, and candidates during intensified campaigning. It is hoped that the department would review the situation and make all efforts to impress upon the stakeholders to voluntarily enforce the COVID-appropriate behaviour to ensure that the BTC polls do not pose any risk of spread of the infection in BTR because of the carelessness and indifferent attitude of the parties and candidates. Ramping up COVID-19 tests in BTR will help identification of the positive cases and take prompt measures for declaring containment zones, if necessary. For the Election Commission of India (ECI), the large turnout in rallies for BTC polls should sound the alarm bell for 2021 assembly polls. The broad guidelines published by the ECI in August for conducting Assembly elections and byelections during COVID-19 is comprehensive on arranging COVID-safety polls. The guidelines, if followed in toto, are ideal to ensure that entire election process including campaigning by parties and candidates pose no risk of spike in COVID-19 positive cases. The ECI directive says that public gatherings/ rallies may be conducted subject to adherence to COVID-19 guidelines. District Election Officer (DEO) should, in advance, identify dedicated grounds for public gathering with clearly marked entry/exit points and markers to ensure social distancing norms by the attendees should be put in all such identified venues. The guidelines also state that the DEO and the district Superintendent of Police should ensure that the number of attendees do not exceed the prescribed limit. The ECI asked the DEOs to bring to the notice of all that anybody violating instructions on COVID-19 measures "will be liable to proceeded against as per the provisions of Section 51 to 60 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, besides legal action under Section 188 of the IPC, and other legal provisions as applicable, as specified in Ministry of Home Affairs order issued on July 29. The Bihar Assembly polls, however, showed that the ECI failed to ensure enforcement of its guidelines and a similar situation may occur in 2021 Assembly polls in Assam if timely measures are not taken. The slackness on enforcement of the COVID-19 safety norms seems to have stemmed from decline of positivity rates below one per cent in the state. However, past few days indicate that the positivity rate has gradually gone up with increase in number of tests which means that there are infected people who may have remained undetected and pose the threat to become super spreader in election rallies held in complete violation of the physical distancing norms and other safety protocols. Delhi High Court on Thursday described the pandemic situation in Delhi to be alarming. Fresh wave of COVID-19 in Delhi and other states like Maharashtra and Gujarat should be a wake-up call for Assam to prevent a second wave in the state. The State government needs to act fast.