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Updated: May 2, 2021, 08:08 AM IST
The counting of votes for UP panchayat elections 2021 began on Sunday after the Supreme Court on Saturday refused to stay the process of vote counting. The Supreme Court also directed that there will be a strict curfew in the entire state till Tuesday morning and no victory rallies will be permitted.
In a special urgent hearing on a court holiday, a bench of justices A M 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.
UPDATED: May 1, 2021 12:30 IST
The Supreme Court pulled up the UP State Election Commission ahead of the counting of votes for the panchayat elections. (PTI)
There will be no delay in the counting of Uttar Pradesh panchayat election results as the Supreme Court on Saturday accepted the assurances of the government and state election commission.
During the hearing on Saturday, the Supreme Court pulled up the Uttar Pradesh State Election Commission ahead of the counting of votes for the
panchayat elections in the state and said heavens will not fall if the counting is deferred considering the ongoing Covid crisis.
However, the court accepted the UP government s assurances that rules will be changed to make Covid test mandatory for all candidates and officials at the counting centres.
The Pandemic in Uttar Pradesh Lucknow hit hardest
A few visuals of the pandemic refuse to let you breath easily. One such visual is of 70-year old grey-bearded Tilakdhari Singh standing helplessly balancing his cycle in the middle of a deserted road in rural Jaunpur while the body of his deceased wife has fallen off the carrier.
Residents of Amberpur village, Singh’s wife had succumbed to the pandemic in a COVID 19 government hospital. When the villagers refused to allow cremation at the local crematorium the old man tried carrying the body to consign it to the Sai River. Midway he lost balance and the body fell off his cycle carrier.
Photo for representation purpose only
BAREILLY/BIJNOR: Various teachers’ unions in UP came together on Wednesday to give a list of “577 teachers and support staff who died while doing panchayat poll duty in the state” to the Uttar Pradesh State Election Commission (UPSEC). The unions have now asked teachers to stay away on counting day, May 2. TOI has a copy of the letter prepared by Dinesh Chandra Sharma, president of UP Shikshak Mahasangh (UPSM), that has names and addresses of the 577 teachers and shiksha mitras.
On Tuesday, the Allahabad HC had sent a notice to the SEC seeking explanation on Covid preparedness and the alleged deaths. A senior teacher’s union leader said, “To be honest, the court’s issuance of the notice has not benefited teachers because the next date of hearing in this case is May 3, which is a day after counting day. What was needed was postponement of counting at least, if not the fourth phase of elections on April 29.”