With this announcement, the ECI has enforced Model code of conduct in all the five states with an immediate at 3:30 PM on January 8. All the poll officials will get the booster dose to ensure their health, said ECI.
Candidate with criminal record will have to tell the voters in advance on media - thrice on TV channels and thrice in news or web papers about his criminal record, said the commissioner. This is being done to give choice to the voters not elect the candidates who bear criminal record, ECI revealed.
No road shows, no rallies, no public meetings in round-abouts and Nukad sabhas till January 15. Two persons will be allowed with the candidate to enter the district election office during the poll process from filing nomination to withdrawal of names or counting of votes.
However, ECI will review the situation after January 15 in all five states. The candidates and parties should adopt digital mode of campaigning, commissioner said.
Announcing the elections schedule for five states, Chief ECI commissioner Sushil Chandra who was accompanied by election commissioners Rajiv Kumar and Anup Chandra Pandey, said these measures have been put in place due to covid pandemic situation in the country.
Uttarakhand will go to poll on February 14, Punjab and Goa on February 14. Manipur will have two phases on February 27 and March 3.
In Uttar Pradesh, the voting will be in seven phases- February 10, 14. 20, 23, 27 and March 3 and March 7.
The counting and results of all the five state assemblies elections will be declared on March 10.
Uttarakhand has 70 seats where BJP’s Pushkar Singh Dhami government rules the state.
UP is ruled by the BJP’ Yogi Adityanath government. It has 403 seats.
Punjab has 117 seats and it is ruled by Congress Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi amid the voices of revolt flagged by the former Chief Minister Capt Amrinder Singh, who had formed his own party- Punjab Lok Party.
Manipur has 60 seats and it is also ruled by BJP in alliance with the regional parties.
Goa has 40 seats and it is also ruled by BJP.
ECI commissioner Sushil Chandra said all preparations regarding law and order and model code of conduct have been done to ensure free, fair and healthy elections in all the five states.
ECI has increased the limits for expenditure (see chart) for the state assembly to Rs 40 lakh and 28 lakh.
The ECI will review covid scenario on January 16 and take appropriate steps regarding restrictions on rallies and other things, ECI said.
ECI said media and social media are its friends as they take their message to people and its guidelines will be applicable to all media. No hate speech should vitiate atmosphere on the social media, ECI said.
Election Commission of India has announced the schedule for 5 state assembly elections in its Delhi today.
The political stakes for BJP are more crucial than these are for other parties considering that the BJP ruled four states- Uttarakhand, Manipur, UP and Goa. Congress runs its government in Punjab.
in view of this, the BJP needs to counter anti-incumbency factor in all four states. This time AAP is also throwing its hat in the election ring in UK, Goa and Punjab that can make the polls as multi cornered contest in these three states.
