It has also restricted to two the number of persons who can accompany the winning candidate to meet the Returning Officer and collect the election certificate. These are significant steps to prevent any escalation in the already alarming infection rate. However, the court’s caution that the counting process should not become a catalyst for a new surge has undoubtedly helped and led to new norms for counting day activities. As the election draws to a close, the time may have come for the ECI to reconsider its resort to multi-phase polling as a permanent practice. Granted, some States are prone to violence, but should it not reconsider the practice, taking into account the strides made in communications and logistics?

Source: The Hindu April 28, 2021 18:33 UTC