The Election Commission (EC) on Monday announced the dates of Assembly polls in five states, namely, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Telangana and Mizoram.The elections in Madhya Pradesh will take place in one phase on November 17. In Chattisgarh, the polling will take place in two phases on November 7 and 17.
In Rajasthan, the elections will be held on November 23. In Telangana, the polling will happen on November 30. In the northeastern state of Mizoram, the elections will be held on November 7.The counting in all states will take place on December 3. The entire process of polling will end on December 5.
In a press conference, the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India, Rajiv Kumar said that the commission met various stakeholders, including the political parties and security forces, in the last six months to check for the preparedness to hold elections.
The elections will take place in a total of 679 Assembly constituencies, representing one-sixth of all the constituencies in India. There are 82 million male and 78 million female voters in all five states. There will be 6.02 million first-time voters in these states this year.
According to CEC Kumar, the polling will be held across 170,000 stations in the five states. Out of these, 101,000 will have the webcast facility.CEC also announced that it is introducing an Election Seizure Management System to enhance oversight for inducement-free elections. It will establish 940 checkposts in these five states to arrest the illicit flow of money, alcohol and drugs. Various enforcement agencies including state police and forest department will guard these posts.
The term of the Mizoram Assembly ends on December 17. The Mizo National Front is in power in the northeastern state. The terms of the legislative assemblies of Telangana, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan end on different dates in January next year.While the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) rules Telangana, Madhya Pradesh is ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Congress is in power in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan.