Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], January 8 (ANI): Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Saturday that the state government is fully prepared to work in line with the Election Commission's instructions over the COVID protocols during the elections.

"In view of COVID-19, we had imposed restrictions on political, religious and social programs till January 15. Now we are fully prepared to work in line with EC instructions," Dhami told ANI.

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This comes as the ECI announced the schedule for the upcoming Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Punjab, Manipur and Uttarakhand and directed that no physical political rallies and roadshows will be allowed till January 15.

Dhami said, "I have been working for the people of Uttarakhand since day one. Under the leadership of PM Modi, developmental work worth over Rs 1 lakh crore has been done. Only BJP can do the developmental work in the state."

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Uttarakhand will go to assembly polls in a single phase on February 14. Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra announced the poll schedule for five states including Uttarakhand.

The counting of votes in Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Punjab, Manipur and Uttarakhand will be held on March 10.

In the 2017 assembly elections, BJP won 57 out of 70 seats in the state. After the elections, Trivendra Singh Rawat was sworn in as the Chief Minister.

The BJP has changed its chief minister twice over the last one year in the state. Trivendra Singh Rawat made way for Tirath Singh Rawat, MP, in March last year. Amid the possibility of bypoll not being held in six months for him to be elected to the state assembly, Tirath Singh Rawat resigned and Pushkar Singh Dhami took oath as Chief Minister.

In view of the rising COVID-19 cases, the Uttarakhand government has prohibited all political rallies and protests in the state until January 16. (ANI)

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)