Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora is among those hit by COVID-19-related travel restrictions . He went on a personal visit to the United States and was scheduled to return to Delhi on April 4, when the government stopped all international flights from March 23.
Mr. Arora told The Hindu that he was on leave from March 7 and his return flight was on April 4. Now, like many others, he is waiting for the resumption of flight services.
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Election Commission of India officials said Mr. Arora had been working remotely. The two Election Commissioners – Ashok Lavasa and Sushil Chandra – and other senior officials were in touch with Mr. Arora.
Mr. Arora said the ECI headquarters in Delhi, including his own office, had been operational with a skeleton staff. The recent decision of the CEC and ECs on a 30% cut in salary for one year to contribute to the COVID-19 response of the government was taken after conversations among the three, he said.
Due to the pandemic, the ECI decided on March 24 to defer the elections to 55 Rajya Sabha seats that were to take place on March 26. The Bihar Assembly poll is scheduled to be held in November.
