New Delhi: As the first phase of the 2019 General Elections concluded, the Election Commission (EC) asked the three state-owned oil marketing companies (OMCs) — Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) — to put on hold the allotment of petrol pumps for now. According to a senior OMC official, "We were directed by the EC not to go ahead with further allotment of fuel outlets." The OMCs had earlier planned to allot at least 41 percent of the total 78,493 new fuel retail outlets that were put up on sale.