The Rashtravadi Janata Party (RJP) has filed a petition in the Supreme Court to direct the Election Commission to postpone the Bihar Assembly elections, due in October-November, in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The plea sought directions to hold the election sometime in March next year as the spread of COVID-19 pandemic is still at its peak across the country.
The RJP, in its plea, said that at present Bihar is undergoing flood situation and it will be better for the safety of the people of India to hold the election sometime in March 2021 when the situation in the state is normalized so that the citizen can participate and cast their votes safely and without there being any threat either of pandemic or the floods.
"It is the duty of the government to provide safety to its citizen first and thereafter do any other activities. In the circumstances, the election in the State should be postponed and same can be held in the month of March, 2021 or at any time thereafter as and when the situation on account of the pandemic and the flood in the state is normalized," the plea said.
It stated that currently, most of the countries in the entire world are suffering from COVID-19 pandemic and India has almost become the epic centre of the pandemic.
"Further, on account of the heavy rain in most parts of the country including Bihar, rivers are over-flowing and causing flood situation in the entire State, consequently, millions of peoples of the state have become homeless and they are also fighting for their bread and butter," the plea said.
"Therefore, under these extraordinary circumstances, the Government should not take such a risk of giving them the burden of casting their votes in this dire situation," it added.
The petitioner also submitted that it gave a representation on June 30, 2020 to the Chief Election Commissioner, Election Commission of India, to postpone the election but till date no decision on the representation has been taken.
Earlier, the top court had refused to entertain a plea seeking directions to the Election Commission to refrain from holding upcoming Assembly elections in Bihar "till the state is declared COVID-19 and flood free".
( With inputs from ANI )
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