It has now come to light that Kerala Chief Secretary Vishwas Mehta had written a second letter to the Election Commission (EC) arguing that the situation was not conducive for the conduct of byelections in Chavara and Kuttanad.
The first letter was written on July 22, a day after Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Teeka Ram Meena had written to the EC saying the byelections were unnecessary waste of money at the time of COVID and deep fiscal stress. The chief secretary's second missive to the EC secretary general Umesh Sinha was shot off on August 21, after the Pettimudi disaster.
Essentially, he had put forward the earlier arguments. First, the fleeting time the newly elected members will get. Mehta said the term of the present Kerala Assembly would expire on May 19, 2021. "The term left for the newly elected members will be of a few months only," he said in the letter.
Second, a large voter turnout that could upset social distancing norms. On the basis of the 2019 Lok Sabha voter turnout, the Chief Secretary estimated that 1.33 lakh and 1.17 lakh electors will come out to vote in Chavara and Kuttanad respectively. "Social distancing will be in risk," he said.
Third, the damages the monsoon had inflicted on Kerala. He pointed out that damages were sustained in many places including Kuttanad, a low lying area. "Arrangements for elections is hard to be made," the chief secretary said.
Fourth, the increasing COVID threat. "There is a huge surge in COVID cases leading to lockdown in many parts of every district affecting normal life," he said.
Fifth, the need to conduct the examinations postponed due to COVID-19.
Finally, the extra burden the byelection will heap on the government machinery. He wrote that the Police, Revenue, Health, Local Self Government officials and similar other departments had been working continuously for the last several months as COVID warriors, successfully containing the first wave. "Over stretching them at this stage is not desirable when new COVID cases are increasing, especially through contact," the chief secretary said.
All major parties in Kerala, including the BJP, are against the conduct of the byelections.
The ECI's response is uncertain as it was planning to conduct 65 byelections across the country, even in states like Odisha, Bengal and Tamil Nadu where Assembly elections, like in Kerala, are only six months away.
