After Madras High Court's Rap, EC Bans Victory Rallies by Political Parties

The Election Commission (EC) faced a lot of criticism for allowing political parties to break COVID-19 protocols, barred victory rallies on or after May 2 in five states and a Union Territory, as well as stated that not more than two individuals should accompany the winning candidates to receive their election certificates. The results for Assembly elections in the four states of West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, and Kerala and the Union Territory of Puducherry will be out on May 2. 

The poll watchdog stated that "Not more than two persons shall be allowed to accompany the winning candidate or his/her authorized representative [to] receive the certificate of election from the Returning Officer concerned."

The Madras High Court on Monday said that the EC should be booked under the charges of murder for allowing the political parties to conduct rallies in poll-bound states, despite the pandemic. The court also declared that the EC is singularly responsible for the second wave of the pandemic.

Mamata Banerjee, the Chief Minister of West Bengal, praised the Madras High Court's observations.

India is facing a severe problem with a record surge in the number of coronavirus cases for days during the second wave and hospitals ran out of beds and oxygen but the elections have been conducted and politicians held the election rallies which were attended by scores of people with little evidence of masks or physical distancing.

However, on Tuesday, Bharatiya Janata Party President Jagat Prakash Nadda welcomed the EC's decisions and urged his party members to follow the directive. Here is the tweet made by Nadda.

भारतीय जनता पार्टी चुनाव आयोग द्वारा परिणामों के बाद विजय जुलूस पर प्रतिबंध के फ़ैसले का स्वागत करती है।मैंने भाजपा की सभी राज्य इकाइयों को इस निर्णय का पालन करने का निर्देश दिया है। हमारा हर कार्यकर्ता पूरी ऊर्ज़ा के साथ इस संकट की घड़ी में आम जन की सेवा में निरंतर लगा रहेगा।

— Jagat Prakash Nadda (@JPNadda) April 27, 2021