UP panchayat election results 2021: Counting of votes underway amid COVID protocols

New Delhi: The counting of votes for Uttar Pradesh Gram Panchayat Election 2021 commenced on Sunday (May 2) at 8 AM and the initial electoral trends are likely to emerge after some time. The UP Gram Panchayat Election 2021 was held in four phases across 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh. 

Ahead of UP Gram Panchayat Election Results, the Supreme Court refused to stay the counting process directing the State Election Commission (SEC) that COVID guidelines should be followed strictly. The SEC asked candidates and their agents that they will not be allowed to enter the counting centers unless they have tested negative for COVID-19 in the 48 hours prior to the commencement of the counting process or taken both doses of the vaccine.

The Supreme Court directed that there will be a strict curfew in the entire state till Tuesday morning and no victory rallies will be permitted. The SC also said that everyone entering the counting center has to undergo thermal scanning. 

In a special urgent hearing on Saturday, a bench of justices AM Khanwilkar and Hrishikesh Roy passed the order after taking note of several notifications and assurances of the SEC that the COVID-19 protocols will be followed at all the 829 counting centres.

The Supreme Court's direction came on a plea seeking a direction for observance of COVID-19 protocols during the counting of votes.

The apex court directed that there will be a strict curfew in the entire state till Tuesday morning and no victory rallies will be permitted, asking the SEC to fix the responsibility for observance of COVID-19 protocols at the counting centers on gazetted officers.

The SC directed the poll panel to preserve the CCTV footage of the counting centers till the Allahabad High Court concludes its hearings on the related petitions before it.

It also ordered that the government officials, candidates, and their agents will have to produce RT-PCR test reports to show that they are COVID-19 negative before entering the counting centers.

The UP Panchayat Election Results 2021 are crucial as the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh will be held in 2022. All eyes, therefore, will be on BJP, Samajwadi Party, Mayawati’s BSP, and Congress. 

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has slammed the Yogi government claiming that what is happening in the state is nothing less than a “crime against humanity” and blamed the state election commission (SEC) for “playing along”.

In a series of tweets, Priyanka Gandhi said, “These elections have been conducted in almost 60,000 gram sabhas of UP without any thought of the catastrophic onslaught of the second wave.” "People are dying in numbers far, far above the deceitful official figures. People are dying in homes across rural UP, and these deaths are not being counted as COVID (deaths) because people aren’t being tested,” she added.

In a tweet, Uttar Pradesh Police said, "The 3rd phase of Panchayat elections got conducted peacefully in 20 districts on 49,798 polling booths/20,727 polling centres, due to the immense hard work of our Police personnel and officers. We thank everyone engaged in the process & the voters for their valuable cooperation.” 

UP's Chief Secretary RK Tiwari held talks with teacher unions and the latter withdrew a call to their members to boycott the counting of votes. They placed a 10-point demand before the government and following assurances from the latter that the demands will be met, decided to take part in the counting process, a statement said.

In a letter dated April 29, the Uttar Pradesh Prathmik Shikshak Sangh (UPPSS) addressed the chief minister and the state election commissioner and said if the counting of votes on May 2 was not cancelled, the teachers will boycott poll duty.

On April 27, taking note of reports about the deaths of government employees due to COVID during panchayat poll duty, the Allahabad High Court had asked the SEC why action may not be taken against it and its officials for the same.

The Panchayat Election Polling was held on April 15 in the first phase, on April 19 in the second, on April 26 in the third and on April 29 in the fourth phase.

Lakhs of candidates were in the fray for over 7.32 lakh seats in the gram panchayat wards, 58,176 in the gram panchayats, 75,852 in the kshetra panchayats, and 3,050 in the Zila panchayats in the statewide elections held over four phases. A total of 3.19 lakh candidates were elected unopposed, the SEC informed.

(With Agency Inputs)