The Election Commission of India will take a call on holding two byelections in the State during the first week of May as the extended COVID-19 lockdown will expire by then.
Any extension of the social distancing drive and lockdown beyond the third week of May would force the Commission to call off the bypolls as much time would not be left for the next Assembly elections.
The term of the current Assembly expires on May 19, 2021. Also, holding of public meetings, door-to-door campaigns and even voting would become impossible in the event of the extension of the social distancing norm. A decision on the byelections in Kuttanad and Chavara constituencies will be taken along with other States. The two seats fell vacant following the deaths Thomas Chandy and N. Vijayan Pillai.
The commission had plans to hold the bypolls in April in the State. Following the outbreak of the disease, the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Kerala, had suggested that they be held in May or June.
Machines ready
However, the office of the CEO, Kerala, has completed the first-level check of the electronic voting machines and VVPAT machines as instructed by the Election Commission. Though it may require only around 1,000 machines for holding the byelections, around 30,000 voting machines and 35,000 VVPAT are ready in the State, Teekka Ram Meena, CEO, Kerala, told The Hindu.
The Election Commission had also sought to know whether any additional machines would have to be moved to Kerala from the neighbouring States, the sources said. If the byelections are to be held, the voters’ list as updated on January 1, 2020 will be used for polling. The final voters’ list for the two constituencies were published on February 4, the sources said.
