Poll rallies and other public functions have led to politicians testing positive

As almost always, political leaders and sundry other public representatives have been totally negligent of and careless about following COVID-appropriate behaviour, with the express result that reports have now started trickling in of a number of them having contacted one or the other strain of the pernicious virus. Understandably, the rise in the number of such cases is especially remarkable in the States that are going to elections in the first quarter of this year, or of those leaders who have been out campaigning or routinely attending public gatherings. However, unfazed by the threat of COVID-19 and the fast-spreading Omicron variant in States like Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, the political parties in the fray continue to hold rallies. For its part, the Election Commission has said the parties want polls to be held amid strict COVID-19 safety guidelines. According to experts, the third wave of COVID-19 may have already started in India, spurred by Omicron. While the variant is dubbed less lethal in terms of its illness compared to Delta, it is still considered to be one of the most infectious variants the world has yet seen.

On Tuesday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who has been campaigning for his Aam Aadmi Party in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab and Goa, conveyed that he has tested positive for the infection and has been isolated. During the devastating second wave of the pandemic in April 2021, Kejriwal along with his wife Sunita had tested positive for the virus. Later, BJP MP Manoj Tiwari made a similar announcement, saying he was displaying “mild symptoms” of the virus. The MP from Northeast Delhi could not attend his party’s Rudrapur (Uttarakhand) campaigning on Monday as he wasn’t “feeling well” since the night of January 2. In the recent days, the other leaders who tested positive include Union Minister for Heavy Industries Mahendra Nath Pandey, TMC leader Babul Supriyo, former Bihar CM Jitan Manjhi, Karnataka Education Minister BC Nagesh, 10 Ministers and 20 MLAs in Maharashtra. Needless to point out that each and every life, be it of the leaders or of common people, is far more important than the quest for staking claim to form a Government. Now the EC must take cognisance of such programmes and announce punitive measures against the violators, including the candidate, campaigners and the party concerned. It can’t just look the other way.