Uttar Pradesh could have a seven-phase election while Punjab, Goa, Uttarakhand and Manipur could witness single-day polling in simultaneous elections likely to be conducted by the Election Commission in February-March next year.
According to sources in the Election Commission, the preparations for the schedule of polls are underway and the elections to the five States may be held shortly after the presentation of Union Budget on February 1.
The Uttar Pradesh election is being keenly watched for it is slated to be a “game-changer” as heavyweight political parties — the BJP, the Congress, the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party —are in the fray.
The term of the UP Assembly ends on May 27, 2017 but with political parties already gearing up with selection of candidates and preparations for poll strategy, there is likelihood of the State witnessing an early election along with that in Goa, Manipur and Punjab where the Assembly expires on March 18. The Uttarakhand Assembly expires on March 27.
Sources in the EC confirmed that UP, where the mother of battles will be fought, could witness a multi-phase polls extending from February to March. “It could be a seven-phase polls while in the other states polling will complete in a single phase,” sources said.
In Punjab, the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP combine is facing a tough challenge from the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) which is likely to make a big dent in the State. In Uttarakhand, the Congress is facing the heat of anti-incumbency giving the BJP a chance to wrest power. In Goa, it’s a three-cornered fight between the BJP, the Congress and the AAP, while in Manipur, the Congress seeks to retain power.
The Government had approached the EC to inform about the proposed announcement of the Union Budget on February 1. Sources in the Commission said that the EC had no objection to the Budget being announced as it covers the entire country and not the poll-bound states only. But the Commission is learned to have conveyed to the Government to exercise caution to avoid “overtly populist measures” in the Budget aimed at voters in the poll-bound States.