Page 179 - Leap of Faith Vol - 2

Chapter 7

Elections during

a Pandemic

ver the past three years, humanity has
grappled with its most intractable adversary in
O living memory, in the form of Coronavirus
disease (COVID-19). The pathogen brought public life to a
grinding halt in 2020, compelling people to run for cover.
The pandemic profoundly affected all aspects of life,
including the political process.

Conducting elections during the pandemic was the
ultimate challenge for the democratic world. “Virtually
overnight, all democratic systems”, observes
International IDEA's Global State of Democracy, 2021:
Building Resilience in a Pandemic Era, “found themselves
dealing with enormous obstacles to hold minimally
adequate elections and secure functioning of legislative
and judicial institutions. More importantly, executives all
over the world felt compelled- and also tempted- to
deploy wide ranging emergency powers to confront the

The coverage of EPIC (Electors Photo Identity Card) was 100 percent in case of Bihar

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