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EC slaps banon

May day rallies

in India

NEW DELHI: India's Election Commission has issued an order to ban all processions on May Day in those states where polling would be held on May 2, the second phase of the general elections for the country's 11th Lok Sabha (Lower House), The Patriot reported on Thursday. The commission said the celebrations would be allowed provided that the gatherings are held at factory gates or designated places in the industrial areas for all of which the requisite permission has to be obtained from local authorities. These gatherings should not be sponsored by any political party and would not be used in any manner whatsoever for election propaganda directly or indirectly, the commission stressed. The commission explained that normally, 48 hours before the closing of polling time, meetings and processions are not allowed to be held. Some major Indian states, such as Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Orissa, Karnataka and West Bengal, would have polling on May 2. In all, polling would be held for 204 of the 543 elective Lok Sabha seats and 233 assembly (state parliament) seats on May 2.-Xinhua