The State Election Commission (SEC) will announce the schedule for local body elections after consultations with health experts and senior police officials, State Election Commissioner V. Bhaskaran has said.
At an all-party meeting convened by the SEC here on Friday, political parties aligned to the LDF and the UDF urged the commission to finalise the date by factoring in the worsening COVID-19 situation in the State. Both fronts were not averse to a temporary delay given the spread of the infection, but insisted that the democratic exercise should not be put off indefinitely.
The BJP, on the other hand, was of the view that the elections should be held without any delay. The tenure of the elected councils of the local bodies ends on November 11.
The LDF suggested that the number of voters per polling booth should be restricted to 1,000. The UDF, on the other hand, wanted it to be fixed at 500 to reduce the chances of disease transmission.
Ideally, the elections should be conducted when the COVID-19 situation had eased, UDF leaders said after the meeting. At the same time, the democratic process cannot be delayed indefinitely, they said, adding that the SEC should arrive at an appropriate decision after studying all aspects of the matter.
While all the political parties opposed the concept of proxy voting, they were supportive of the proposal for postal ballots for COVID-19 patients. The UDF and the BJP insisted that steps should be taken to ensure that the process is transparent and fool-proof.
Mr. Bhaskaran said the SEC would examine the concerns raised by the political parties and the suggestions made by them. The election date will be decided after consultations with health experts and the police, he said.
Elections are to be held in 941 grama panchayats, 152 block panchayats, 14 district panchayats, 86 municipalities and six corporations.
