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Elections during a Pandemic Chapter 7

An MLA suspected of being COVID-infected wearing a PPE kit casts his vote for the Rajya Sabha Election in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh
as a political party representative wearing protective gear looks on
already in excess of 1,18,000 cases in 114 countries in complete stands ll. India was in the throes of an
which 4,291 people had lost their lives. The WHO unprecedented crisis.
consciously rang “the alarm bell loud and clear”.
Elec on Commission had a compara vely leaner
On March 24, 2020 a 21-day na onwide lockdown was calendar for the year 2020. Holding free and fair
announced with effect from mid-night. It was extended elec ons, before due date is a cons tu onal/statutory
further ll May 3, May 17 and May 31 as cases con nued obliga on. This was being adversely affected by the
to mount. The lockdown brought the en re social, COVID-19 outbreak. On April 3, 2020 under lockdown
poli cal, cultural and economic life in the country to a condi ons, the Elec on Commission decided to defer the

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