NEW DELHI: The Election Commission on Tuesday deferred biennial elections to 18 Rajya Sabha seats in view of the lockdown in force due to COVID-19 across all the states where polls were due. An EC press note said the list of contesting candidates published earlier shall remain valid and a fresh date for the polling and counting announced later, after reviewing the situation.TOI had reported this morning that EC would take a call on postponing RS polls to 18 seats from across Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh , Manipur, Meghalaya and Rajasthan after assessing the field reports regarding lockdown restrictions enforced in the said states.A Nirvachan Sadan release stated: "The prevailing unforeseen situation of public health emergency indicates the need for avoidance of possibilities of gatherings of any nature, which expose all concerned to possible health hazard. The poll process in the above said elections would necessarily include the gathering of polling officials, agents of political parties, support officials and members of respective legislative assemblies on the poll day, which may not be suitable in view of the prevailing unforeseen situation and related advisories in the country”.EC had declared polls to 55 Rajya Sabha seats on February 25. Another bypoll was announced later to fill the vacancy caused by resignation of BJP MP Birender Singh. Polling for all seats was scheduled for March 26. After 37 candidates were elected unopposed and nomination papers of a TMC candidate for a West Bengal seat rejected due to technical reasons, polls to 18 seats — four each in Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh, three each in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, two in Jharkhand and one each in Manipur and Meghalaya — had become due on Thursday.However, on March 11, World Health Organisation declared Novel Coronavirus COVID-19 a global pandemic. The Central government thereafter issued various guidelines and instructions to monitor and contain the transmission of COVID- 19. The Centre on March 20 asked all the state governments to take tough measures to break the chain of transmission of COVID-19. This included suspension of all train services till March 3, including sub urban rail services; and closure of all activities except essential services such as hospitals, telecom, medicine shops, provision stores etc. Subsequently, on March 23 ceasing of all domestic flight operations from midnight of March 24 was announced. State governments have also issued various orders including curb on local transportation.Stating that it had reviewed the matter in detail, EC said Section 153 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 specifies that the the Commission, for reasons which it considers sufficient, may extend the time for the completion of any election by making necessary amendments in the poll notification issued by it. “...accordingly, the Election Commission has deferred the poll and extended the period of said election under the provisions of section 153 of the said Act. The list of contesting candidates, already published for the said elections by the respective Returning Officers shall remain valid for the purposes of remaining activities, as prescribed under the said notification. Fresh date of poll and counting for the said biennial elections shall be announced in due course after reviewing the prevailing situation,” EC stated.