Holidays in election commission Rules

HOLIDAYS
Guidelines for closure of Central Govt. Offices including Industrial Establishments of the Central Government in connection with General/Bye-elections to Parliament/State Assemblies and other elections to local bodies.
Election Commission's letter No. 78/87, dt. 31st March, 1987 to all Chief Electoral Officers.
______________________________________________________________________

Subject : Guidelines for closure of Central Government Offices including industrial establishments of the Central Government in connection with general elections/bye-elections to Parliament/State Assemblies and other elections to local bodies.

I am directed to forward herewith a copy of the O.M. No. 12/4/86- CA, dated the 9th March, 1987 from the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions (Department of Personnel and Training), New Delhi on the above subject, for your information. The Guideline contained therein may be followed in all future elections.

Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, (Department of Personnel and Training) O.M.No. 12/4/86- CA, dated 9th March, 1987.

Subject : Guidelines for closure of Central Government Offices including industrial establishments of the Central Government in connection with general elections/bye-elections to Parliament/State Assemblies and other elections to local bodies.

Instructions already exist regulating closure of Central Government of offices on the polling day (S) in connection with various elections and the same have been consolidated in the enclosed statement (Annexure) for information and necessary action in connection with the ensuing general elections to constitute new Assemblies in the State of J & K., Kerala, West Bengal and other bye-elections being held simultaneously on 23rd march, 1987 and any such elections to be held in future. These instructions are applicable in respect of Central Government industrial establishment also.

Ministry of Finance, etc., are requested to bring these instructions to the notice of the offices or organisations under their jurisdiction for information and necessary action.

Hindi version will follow.

Annexure

Guidelines for closure of Central Government offices in connection with election to Parliament/State Assemblies/Local elections.

I. General Elections to Lok Sabha/State Assemblies

-I. Facilities/Privileges to Central employees (a) Holiday/closure of offices- In connection with General Elections to Lok Sabha or a State Assembly, a local holiday is usually declared by the State Government on the date (s) of polling, if held on day (s) other than Sunday or other closed holiday. When such a holiday is declared, the Central Government offices located in such places should also be closed on the polling day (s) in accordance with the practice adopted by the State Government. (b) Grant of Special Casual Leave- Every eligible voter is entitled to be registered in the electoral roll of a constituency in which he ordinarily resides. In some cases, it may happen that the Central Government employee residing, and enrolled as a voter, in a particular place/constituency, say Delhi (where the election is to be held), may be employed in any office located at some other place, say, Faridabad/Ghaziabad, etc., in such cases, the individual Central Government employee may be granted special casual leave, if his office does not happen to be closed on that particular day, to enable him to exercise his franchise.

Guidelines for closure of Central Govt. Offices including Industrial Establishments of the Central Government in connection with General/Bye-elections to Parliament/State Assemblies and other elections to local bodies.

II.Bye-Elections - (i) Lok Sabha	II. (a) Holiday/Closure of offices State Government normally declares a local holiday in that particular area/constituency on the polling day (s) if the election is held on day (s) other than Sunday/or other closed holidays. Central Government offices may also follow the State practice in such cases. (b) Grant of Special Casual Leave- Permissible on the same grounds/circumstances as in the case of general elections [of I(b) above.]
(ii) State Assemblies	(a) Holiday/closure of offices- In bye-election to State Assemblies, Central Government offices should not be closed. It would be sufficient if only those Central Government employees who may be placed on election duty are permitted to absent themselves from office on the polling day (s). All other employees should be given facility to excise their franchise either by way of coming late to office or by being allowed to leave office early or a short absence on that day, subject to the exigencies of the services. (b) Grant of Special Casual Leave- Permissible on the grounds/circumstances as in the case of general elections. (of I(b) above.)
III. Panchayat/Corporation. /Municipalities or other- local bodies	III. The Central Government-offices shall not be closed. The Government employees who are bonfire voters and desire to exercise their franchise should however, offered reasonable facility, subject to the normal exigencies of service, either by way of coming late to office or by being allowed to leave office early or a short absence on that day.

Note :- Heads of Central Government offices located in places outside Delhi may also permit the staff detailed on election duty to remain away from their normal duties on polling day (s) as also on the day (s) required for performing journeys which might be under taken in order to perform such election duty.