Thiruvananthapuram: The Kuttanad and Chavara Assembly bypolls will be conducted in strict adherence to all existing COVID guidelines, State Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Teeka Ram Meena said on Friday.
The Election Commission had released broad guidelines for conducting general elections and by-elections amid the pandemic on August 21.
The guidelines require voters to wear face masks and maintain social distance.
Provisions for thermal screening, sanitiser and soap and water are to be made available at all polling booths.
Voters will be given gloves for signing voters list and to press the buttons on the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM).
There will be three separate queues – for male voters, female voters, and people with disabilities and senior citizens.
Only two individuals may accompany the candidate for the physical filing of nomination papers. The nomination can also be carried out online.
Though both the State and the CEO had recommended that the bypolls be avoided given the recent surge in COVID cases in the state and the fact that the next Assembly election is in a matter of months, the Election Commission of India (EC) decided to conduct them at the same time as Bihar Assembly election.
On Friday, the EC had announced that the Bihar elections will be conducted before November 29. The Kerala bypolls too is expected then.
Several bypolls were deferred recently due to excessive rains and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kuttanad and Chavara seats fell vacant following the deaths of Thomas Chandy and N Vijayan Pillai, both belonging to the ruling Left Democratic Front.
The outcome of the bypolls would not affect the composition of the state legislature, where the CPM-led LDF has a comfortable majority. The current Kerala Assembly's term would expire on May 19, 2021.
Kuttanad and Chavara are in Alappuzha and Kollam districts respectively.
