Election Commission to meet with Health Secretary over Omicron concerns

The Election Commission of India (ECI) will meet Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan on December 27, Monday to take stock of the Covid-19 situation in the country. The commission may also seek suggestions from Bhushan on improving its COVID-19 protocol for poll campaigning, polling days and the dates of counting. The move comes ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections in five states, amid concerns of a rise in the Omicron variant of coronavirus. The terms of Goa, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Manipur legislative assemblies are ending on different dates in March, 2022, while the Uttar Pradesh assembly term will end in May.