Guwahati: The Election Commission of India on Saturday announced election schedule for five states, Goa, Punjab, Manipur, Uttarakhand and UP.
The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sushil Chandra along with Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and Anup Chandra Pandey announced the decisions while addressing a press conference.
The election will be completed in seven phases and first will begin from 10 February. Counting of votes will take place on March 10.
- Manipur will vote in two phases on February 27 and March 3.
- Uttar Pradesh will vote in seven phases starting February 10.
- Goa will vote on February 14 in a single phase.
- Uttarakhand votes on February 14 while Punjab will vote on February 14.
– In seven states, all five elections will be completed.
– No roadshows, padyatras, cycling or bike rallies, or processions are permitted until January 15th; the situation will be reassessed and new instructions will be issued later: Sushil Chandra, CEC
– Voters should utilize our cVIGIL programme to report any breach of the Model Code of Conduct, as well as the distribution of money and freebies. ECI personnel will arrive at the scene of the offence within 100 minutes of receiving a report.
– All election officials and employees would be considered frontline workers, with all eligible officers receiving a ‘precautionary dose’ of vaccination.
– The Model Code of Conduct (MCC) takes effect as soon as the schedules are released. The Election Commission has put in place sophisticated plans to ensure that the MCC standards are followed to the letter. Any infringement of these rules will be dealt with harshly.
Political parties are required to post thorough information on individuals nominated as poll candidates who have pending criminal cases on their websites. They must also explain a justification for choosing the candidate: CEC Sushil Chandra is an Indian businessman.
– In all polling places, EVMs and VVPATs will be used. For a seamless election process, the Election Commission has already taken measures to ensure an adequate quantity of EVMs and VVPATs.
All voting stations will include Covid-mitigation equipment, such as sanitizers and masks, and the number of booths will be raised.
– In five state assembly elections, over 18 crore people, including over 8.5 crore women, would be eligible to vote.
– With considerable preparations, we want to hold Covid-safe elections in five states with maximum voter participation: Commission on Elections
Every Assembly constituency must have at least one polling station administered solely by women, according to the ECI. Much more has been discovered by our officers. Although there are 690 Assembly seats, we are erecting 1620 polling booths.
Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat will hold elections in 2022 as well. The elections will be a litmus test for the ruling BJP, which controls four of the five states that will vote in the coming months.
New contenders in these states, such as the Samajwadi Party (SP) in Uttar Pradesh and the Trinamool Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Goa, will aim to capitalize on the anti-incumbency.