The Election Commission on Wednesday revised norms for star campaigners for polls during the pandemic, reducing the maximum number from 40 to 30 per political party and requiring permission from the district election official 48 hours prior to campaigning.
The new norms will apply to the ongoing Bihar Assembly elections and the bypolls across the country, as well as future elections during the pandemic, the EC said in a letter to the Chief Electoral Officers of all States and Union Territories.
Till now, recognised parties were allowed 40 star campaigners and the unrecognised could have 20. The parties are supposed to submit a list of these campaigners, which usually includes top national leaders and celebrities, to the EC seven days from the date of notification of polls. The amount spent on campaigning by them is not included in the respective candidate’s expenditure.
The EC decided to reduce the number of star campaigners to 30 and 15 each for recognised and unrecognised registered parties respectively, as well give parties 10 days from the date of notification to submit their lists.
“After considering all facts and circumstances emerging due to the pandemic and keeping a balance between the requirement of campaign by the political parties, the Commission has decided to revise the norms,” the EC letter stated.
“The request for permission for the campaigning by star campaigners shall be submitted to the district election authorities at least 48 hours before the start of campaign so that all necessary safety measures are put in place by all concerned stakeholders well in time,” the letter said.
The EC had announced the schedule for the Bihar Assembly elections on September 25 and visited the State to review preparations from September 29 to October 1.
“The Commission was informed that the district authorities have completed the identification of locations for electoral campaign and are in the process of marking it for public gathering, keeping COVID safety norms in view, in each constituency...” the letter said about the visit by Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora and Election Commissioners Sushil Chandra and Rajiv Kumar.
