The Mumbai suburban district collector has said that offices and factories in the district must give their staff paid holiday or a 2-hour recess on the voting day for Lok Sabha elections 2024, reported the PTI.

According to the PTI, the Collector also said that the offices and factories will face action if their staff complain that they have not been given a paid holiday or 2-hour recess on the voting day to execute their voting right.

The Mumbai suburban district will vote in the fifth phase on May 20.

In a notice, Mumbai Suburban District Collector Rajesh Kshirsagar, who is also the returning officer, said that establishments that cannot give their employees a holiday for the entire day should provide a two-hour break with the permission of the collector`s office, reported the PTI.

The entities will face action in case of complaints about non-compliance, it added.

Suvidha portal gets over 73,000 applications for campaign-related permissions

Meanwhile, the Election Commission on Sunday said that its Suvidha portal has received over 73,000 applications since the Lok Sabha elections 2024 were announced, seeking permission for various campaigning activities, as per the PTI.

The applications submitted by by parties and candidates include requests for booking rally grounds, opening temporary party offices and operating video publicity vans, the Election Commission said, the news agency reported on Sunday.

More than 44,600 requests have been approved with first in-first out principle ensuring level playing field for parties and candidates, it said.

Of the total requests received, nearly 11,200 or 15 per cent were rejected, and 10,819 applications cancelled as they were invalid or duplicate, the data released by the commission showed.

Maximum requests were received from Tamil Nadu (23,239), followed by West Bengal (11,976) and Madhya Pradesh (10,636).

The least number of requests so far have been received from Chandigarh (17), Lakshadweep (18) and Manipur (20), the poll authority said, according to the PTI.

The Suvidha portal has streamlined the process of obtaining permissions and facilities by candidates and parties, it said.

It caters to permissions for organising rallies, booking venues, opening temporary party offices, door-to-door canvassing, video vans, use of helicopters and helipads, obtaining vehicle permits and distributing pamphlets, it further said.

The EC said offline submission options are also available to ensure inclusivity and equal opportunity for all stakeholders.

The permission data available on the portal serves as a valuable resource for scrutinising election expenditures, contributing to greater accountability and integrity in the electoral process, the commission noted, the news agency reported further.

The seven phase elections were announced on March 16 and voting would commence from April 19. The last phase is on June 1.

(with PTI inputs)

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