EC poll dates announcement LIVE UPDATES: Schedule for Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram today
The Election Commission Saturday will announce dates for the Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Mizoram Assembly elections. The EC is expected to make the announcement in a press conference at 3 pm, after which the Model Code of Conduct will come into force. The schedule for the Telangana Assembly Elections is also likely to be announced.
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. The 200-member Rajasthan House expires on January 20, 2019. Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao recently dissolved the House to avoid a possible clubbing of Assembly polls with the Lok Sabha elections.
The Congress is in power in Mizoram, while the BJP is in power in the other three states.
Election Commission announces polls dates for Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram:
The Election Commission will announce dates for the Assembly elections to five states today — Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram and Telangana. The tenures of four states, excluding Telangana, end by January 2019. The Telangana House was recently dissolved, warranting early elections in the state.
The Congres has been in power in Mizoram since 2008. It won the 2013 Assembly election after securing 34 seats in the 40-member House. Lal Thanhawala was elected CM of the state.
The BJP is in power in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. In Rajasthan, the party has 160 seats in the 200-member House. Vasundhara Raje in the CM of Rajasthan. In Madhya Pradesh, it won 166 seats in the House and elected Shivraj Singh Chouhan as CM. The BJP won the Chhattisgarh polls in 2013, securing 49 seats in the 91-member House. The Congress came a close second with 39 seats. Raman Singh was elected CM.
Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said it has “waited too long” for the Congress and will now “consult” the BSP and the Gondwana Gantantra Party for an alliance in the Madhya Pradesh polls. The move comes days after BSP president Mayawati parted ways with the Congress, alleging that the Rahul Gandhi-led party was adopting a stubborn attitude and it was out to finish her party.
The commission is likely to announce the poll schedule for Telangana as well. The KCR-led government in the state had dissolved the assembly nine months before the end of its term. The election code of conduct comes into play with immediate effect in these states.
After the Congress alleged that the Election Commission’s press conference today was delayed due to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally, former Union minister Yashwant Sinha has claimed the same. “Unfortunate that Election Commission postponed announcement of election dates in 5 states only to enable Modi to address his public meeting in Ajmer, Rajasthan. Very sad,” he tweeted.
The Congress has been in power in Mizoram since 2008. In 2013, it had won the Assembly election after securing 34 seats in the 40-member House. Lal Thanhawala was elected Chief Minister of the state.
Here’s an advertisement in The Indian Express today by the Election Commision on VVPAT machines — an independent printer system attached with the EVM that allows voters to verify that their votes are cast as intended. Since 2000, the EC has used EVMs in state Assembly elections and the Lok Sabha polls.
The Election Commission may announce dates for the Telangana Assembly elections as well. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao recently dissolved the House to avoid a possible clubbing of Assembly polls with the Lok Sabha elections. KCR’s Telangana Rashtriya Samiti (TRS) won 82 seats in the 120 member House. It was the first elected government in the state after bifurcation. Read more here.
The press conference, which was earlier reportedly scheduled at 12.30 pm, is now at 3 pm. Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala claims that the briefing has been delayed because of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally in Rajasthan at 1 pm. Taking to Twitter, Surjewala lists “3 facts” and asks people to draw their own conclusions. See his tweet below.
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. The 200-member Rajasthan House expires on January 20, 2019.
The Election Commission will announce the schedule for elections to four states — Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram — on Saturday. The Model Code of Conduct will kick in as soon as the announcement is made. Stay tuned as we bring you the latest news.