Chhattisgarh goes to election in two phases on Nov 12, Nov 20; MP, Mizoram on Nov 28; polling in Rajasthan, Telangana on Dec 7; results to be out on Dec 11
Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram will go to polls in November, while Rajasthan and Telangana in December. The Election Commission (EC) on Saturday announced the polling dates for the five States, the results of which will set the tone for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
While Naxal-affected Chhattisgarh will go to polls in two phases on November 12 (18 seats) and November 20 (72 seats), the Madhya Pradesh and Mizoram Assembly elections will be held on November 28. Polling in Rajasthan and Telangana, whose Chief Minister K Chandrsekhar Rao had dissolved the Assembly last month, will be held on December 7. The counting of votes will be held across all the five States on December 11.
With the EC’s announcement, the model code of conduct has come into effect in four States. The code of conduct is already in place in Telangana since the Assembly was dissolved. The election will be held using the latest Mark III EVM, VVPAT machines in all the States.
Announcing the poll dates, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) OP Rawat said the elections in Chhattisgarh would be held in two phases because some areas in the State were affected by Left-wing extremism. “The Assembly constituencies going to polls in the first phase of Assembly elections in Chhattisgarh are affected by Left-wing extremism violence. There are 18 constituencies which will go to polls in the first phase and the remaining 72 constituencies will go to polls in the second phase. Life of each and every voter is precious for us, which is why we are being cautious,” the CEC said.
These five Assembly elections would be crucial for the BJP as it gears up for the Lok Sabha election next year and is in power in three of these States — Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. While the Congress is in power in Mizoram, Telangana Rashtra Samithi ruled Telangana before the Assembly was dissolved.
The BJP is trying for a fourth term in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and to retain power in Rajasthan. The three States also played a significant role for the BJP in the 2014 general elections when it had won 62 out of the 65 Lok Sabha seats in these three States.
The elections also hold significance for the Congress, which is out to challenge the BJP’s rule in the States even while protecting its last bastion in the North-East. Mizoram is the only remaining State in the North-East, which is not under the rule of BJP-led NDA. The eight North-East States together have 25 Lok Sabha seats.
Mizoram’s 50-member House expires on December 15, 2018, Chhattisgarh’s Assembly, comprising 90 members, ends on January 5, 2019, the tenure of the Madhya Pradesh 230-member House expires on January 7, 2019, and the 200-member Rajasthan House comes to an end on January 20, 2019.
On September 6, KCR had dissolved the Telangana House to avoid a possible clubbing of Assembly polls with the Lok Sabha elections.
CEC Rawat said the electoral rolls for Telangana will be published on October 12.
He said the polls in Telangana have been pushed to December, so that the Commission could place the voters' list before the High Court, where the Chief Minister's decision has been challenged.
“The case in High Court is about the voters' list and it wants to see the list. So the EC extended final publication to 12. That's why Telangana polls are at the far end,” Rawat said.
The Election Commission had called off the revision of rolls in Telangana to make way for polls in the State by the year-end. The Commission is sticking to the lists from January 1, 2018 and asking the voters to flag any new names or discrepancies.
Rawat said Lok Sabha bypolls in Shimoga, Bellary and Mandya in Karnataka will be held on November 3. He said that there are changes in nomination procedure and advertisements according to Supreme Court order to check criminalisation of politics.
