ITANAGAR, Oct 29: The Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) has written to the Lohit deputy commissioner, seeking immediate halt to the proposed ‘general conference-cum-election’ of the All Mishmi Students’ Union (AMSU), scheduled to take place from 5 November to 3 December.
Saying that “the state is attaining its peak of Corona positive cases,” the APCC highlighted that the conference-cum-election would involve thousands of delegates arriving in Tezu, which it said “may lead to community transmission in the days to come.”
Informing that there are over 20 portfolios in the AMSU and it would involve people-to-people and door-to-door canvassing to solicit votes from potential voters living in and around Tezu, the APCC proposed that the general conference-cum-election of the union be conducted after normalcy returns.
“The huge number of delegates roaming in the bazaar, visiting hotels and shops in the market area of Tezu, is sure to escalate the spread of the dreadful coronavirus,” it said.
It also pointed out that elections to government bodies, such as the municipality and the panchayat, have also not been conducted yet.
The APCC said it objects to the selection of the government higher secondary school in Tezu as the venue for the proposed conference-cum-election.
Requesting the district administration to stop the conference-cum-election within seven days, the APCC said the administration would be held responsible “if any untoward situation emerges, such as detection of Corona positive cases during and after the conference.”
“In case the conference committee forcefully conducts the conference-cum-election haphazardly, the chief election commissioner, presiding officer, returning officer and polling officer of the election would have to take the responsibility if Covid-19 positive cases are detected among the participating students during and after the conference and for the further spread of the virus in the area,” it said.