The Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) has requested the Election Commission of India (ECI) to reschedule the polling date in the state as it coincides with a Friday, a significant day for the Muslim faith. All 20 Lok Sabha constituencies in Kerala will go to polls on April 26, a Friday.
Citing potential difficulties to the Muslims, KPCC acting president MM Hassan said polling on Fridays and Sundays will be inconvenient to various sections of the society.
MM Hassan and Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, VD Satheesan, have jointly written a letter to the Election Commission, requesting a change in the polling date. The letter said that holding Lok Sabha elections on Friday or Sunday in Kerala could pose significant inconvenience to the people, including election officers, booth agents and voters alike.
MM Hassan said, “The polling date in Kerala is April 26. In Kerala, Friday and Sunday will be inconvenient to various sections of the community. So we have demanded to change the polling date to some other date. I have also sent emails to the Central Election Commissioner and the UDF chairman and the opposition leader. He has also sent a mail to the Central Election Commissioner.”
It is not just the Congress which has highlighted the ‘Friday polling’ issue to the Election Commission, earlier, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), too, had also said it will approach the poll panel regarding a change in date of polling in Kerala.
No update from the Election Commission has been shared so far.
Lok Sabha polls will be held in seven phases beginning from April 19 and the counting of votes will take place on June 4 for the world’s biggest election exercise in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi will bid for a third consecutive term.
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Published: 19 Mar 2024, 06:20 PM IST