A string of festive celebrations is coming up after August 15, which might hamper the state election commission (SEC)'s plans.
The state government's plans to conduct elections of six municipal corporations in the state, together, are facing a major obstacle. A string of festive celebrations is coming up after August 15, which might hamper the state election commission (SEC)'s plans.
It is believed that the dates for the municipal corporations' elections in the state will be declared after the Independence Day celebration on August 15. However, the SEC is likely to have trouble arranging for adequate security personnel and manpower for conducting the elections together, given the upcoming festivals.
"Our main concern is to conduct free and fair elections in a peaceful manner, and for that, we require enough additional security personnel apart from the police force. However, several festivals are coming up. During this festive season, various fairs are being organised in different parts of the state, and considering the safety and security of people at these events is also important," said an SEC official.
He added, "We are collecting information on the availability of para-military forces like the SRPF and CRPF for security measures during the elections. We are also gathering information from various districts in the state about the availability of other manpower for election duty."
Election of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) will be due by October 24, those of five other municipal corporations including Rajkot, Bhavnagar, Vadodara, Surat and Jamnagar will be due by December 10. But after August 15, there is Rakshabandhan on August 24, Janmashtami on September 2, Id-ul-fitr on September 11, not to forget the nine-day long Navratri from October 7.
With so many festivals coming up in quick succession, most of the police force is expected to be busy maintaining law and order during these. Hence, plans to conduct elections of all the six municipal corporations at one go, may not materialise after all.
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