Election Holidays – Grant of Paid Holiday to CG Employees on the day of Poll – Orders Issued by Election Commission

Election Commission has issued orders on General Election to the State Legislative Assembly of NCT of Delhi 2015, grant of paid holiday to employees on the day of poll under section 135B of Representation of the People Act 1951. The order is reproduced and given below for your ready reference…

ELECTION COMMISSION OF INDIA

No.78/2015/EPS

Dated: 20th January, 2015

To

1. The Chief Secretary to the Government of NCT of Delhi,Delhi.

2. The Chief Electoral Officer,Delhi.

3. The Secretary to the Govt, of India, M/o Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Department of Personnel and Training, North Block, New Delhi.

Subject:- General Election to the State Legislative Assembly of NCT of Delhi, 2015 – Grant of paid holiday to employees on the day of poll – Regarding.

Sir,

I am directed to invite your attention to Section 135B of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 which provides for the grant of paid holiday to the employees on the day of poll. The Section 135B is reproduced below:-

“135B. Grant of paid holiday to employees on the day of poll.

(1) Every person employed in any business trade, industrial undertaking or any other establishment and entitled to vote at election to the House of the People or the Legislative Assembly of a State shall, on the day of poll, be granted a holiday.

(2) No deduction or abatement of the wages of any such person shall be made on account of a holiday having been granted in accordance with sub-section (I) and if such person is employed on the basis that he would not ordinarily receive wages for such a day, he shall nonetheless be paid for such day the wages he would have drawn had not a holiday been granted to him on that day.

(3) If an employer contravenes the provisions of sub-section (1) or sub-section (2), then such employer shall be punishable with fine, which may extend to five hundred rupees.

(4) This section shall not apply to any elector whose absence may cause danger or substantial loss in respect of the employment in which he is engaged.”

2. The above provisions require that all the electors who are employees of establishments and shops including those who work on shift basis shall be granted a paid holiday on the day of poll in the Constituency where a general election is to be held. Further, there may be cases where a person is ordinarily resident of the Constituency and registered as an elector, may be serving/employed in an industrial undertaking or an establishment located outside the Constituency having a general election. It is clarified that in such a situation, even those electors including casual workers working outside the constituency concerned would be entitled to the benefit of a paid holiday extended under Section 135B(1) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951,

3. The daily wage/casual workers are also entitled for a holiday and wages on poll day as provided in Section 135B of the R.P. Act, 1951

4. The Commission desires that suitable instructions should be issued to all concerned and a copy thereof be endorsed to the Commission for its information and record.

5. The receipt of this letter may please be acknowledged.

Yours faithfully

sd/-

(Sumit Mukerjee)

Secretary

Authority: www.eci.nic.in