As the country is grappled with a surge of COVID-19 cases and the rapidly spreading Omicron variant of the virus, the Congress party on Wednesday, 5 January announced that it has "postponed major rallies in Uttar Pradesh and other poll-bound states."
Speaking to ANI, Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal said that the party has "asked state units to assess the COVID-19 situation in their states and take a decision on holding rallies."
Earlier on Wednesday, the Congress also called off all marathons it had scheduled as a part of the 'Ladki Hoon, Lad Sakti Hoon' campaign in Uttar Pradesh.
The cancellations come while the Congress, along with other parties, are facing flak for organising massive election rallies in poll-bound states.
A video of a stampede-like situation from a marathon organised by the Congress in Bareilly also went viral on social media on Tuesday.
'Urge PM, Other Political Parties to Not Hold Big Rallies'
The UP Congress also wrote to the Election Commission (EC) on Wednesday asking it to urge all parties to refrain from holding "big rallies" in UP.
In the letter, the Congress asked EC to urge other parties to hold virtual events, door-to-door campaigns, and chaupals, rather than holding massive gatherings.
The Congress also urged the EC to provide adequate protection to all frontline workers and government employees who are being assigned election duty.
"The Prime Minister is holding big rallies in several districts of UP ahead of the elections in which government money and machinery is being used. But these events have turned into promotions of the BJP rather than the inaugurations of said projects," the party said.
It also added that CM Adityanath and others are using government machinery to give inflammatory and divisive speeches.
CM Cancels Noida Event
Meanwhile, chief minister Yogi Adityanath has also cancelled a government event that was scheduled for 6 January in Noida, sources told The Quint.
Scores of people have taken to social media to question the continuation of political rallies while curbs are being imposed on citizens amid a steep rise in cases across the country.
The Election Commission last week had announced that all political parties had recommended for the elections to be held in UP as per schedule, but with COVID protocols in place.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)