The Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) has called upon the Election Commission of India (ECI) to reconsider the polling date in the southern state, which currently falls on a Friday, deemed a significant day in Islam. In a joint letter addressed to the poll panel, KPCC’s acting president M M Hassan and Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly V D Satheesan have urged for the voting day to be shifted from April 26, citing potential challenges for Muslim voters, as per PTI citing party sources.
According to the report, the letter highlighted that holding elections on either Friday or Sunday could result in considerable inconvenience for voters, as well as for polling officers and booth agents.
Earlier, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) had also expressed its intention to approach the poll panel to request a change in the polling dates for Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Kerala is scheduled to vote on April 26, which coincides with a Friday. IUML, a significant ally of Congress in Kerala, voiced concerns about the inconvenience caused to voters, candidates, polling agents, and election officials due to the polling day falling on Friday.
“We will be approaching the ECI as the announcement of polling on Friday will cause inconvenience to voters, candidates, polling agents, and officials assigned to election duty,” stated P M A Salam, the state general secretary of IUML, as quoted by PTI.
The Election Commission of India recently announced the schedule for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, which will be conducted in seven phases. Polling will commence on April 19 and extend till the summer month of June, with the vote counting scheduled for June 4.
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