Indian court urges delay in state elections as Omicron spreads

FILE PHOTO: A man waits inside a COVID care centre set up amidst the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in New Delhi, India, December 21, 2021. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - An Indian court urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government to suspend political rallies and election campaigns in poll-bound states amid the rising number of Omicron cases, a variant of COVID-19.

Judges of the Allahabad High Court in the country's most populous Uttar Pradesh (UP) state said on Thursday the number of people infected with Omicron is on the rise and could result in a third wave of the coronavirus.