The Election Commission on Wednesday announced poll dates for elections to five state assemblies – Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Manipur, Goa and Uttarakhand.
The Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi said Punjab and Goa will go to polls on February 4. In Uttarakhand, the elections will be held in one phase on February 15. In Manipur, the first phase of polls will be on March 4, and the second phase will be on 8 March.
Uttar Pradesh will go to polls in seven phases. The first phase will be held on February 11. In second phase where 11 districts of UP will go to polls will be held on 15 February.
The third phase will be held in 12 districts on 19 February and the fourth phase will be held on 23 February. The phase five will be held on 27 February, phase six on 4 March and phase seven will be on 8 March.
While Uttar Pradesh and Manipur voters’ lists will be published on January 12, Uttarakhand on January 10, and in Goa and Punjab on January 5.
Elections will be held in 690 Assembly constituencies. A colorful guide will be distributed by Election Commission that will have information about date and times of polling along with dos and don’ts for the electorate.
A total of 1,85,000 polling stations will be there in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur with each polling station having voter assistant booth. “Nearly 160 Million voters will be participating in the polls,” said EC.
In some parts of poll-bound states, there will be separate polling booths for women. The model code of conduct comes into force with immediate effects said EC.
Voters Assistance booth will be there and it will be manned by officials, said CEC Naseem Zaidi.
Around 1.85 lakh polling stations will be in operation for assembly polls to the five states, said CEC Nasim Zaidi. “There will be complete accountability of photo voter slips, colourful voter guides will be distributed to each family. For the first time, every polling station will have a ‘Voter Assistance’ booth,” he said.
The EC on Tuesday held a meeting with Chief Electoral Officers of the all five poll-bound states to perk up the arrangements. However, the critical law and order situation in Manipur owing to the continuing road blockade by some Naga groups was the focus of attention of the EC.
While the EC may hold a seven-phase poll in UP and single-phased polling in the four other states, with current blockade situation in Manipur, it might go for several phases in the north-eastern state.
The legislative assembly terms of Goa, Manipur and Punjab will end on March 18, while the same will expires on March 26 in Uttarakhand and on May 27 in UP. While Uttar Pradesh has 403 assembly seats, Punjab has 117, Uttarakhand has 70, Manipur has 60 and Goa has 40.
Around 85,000 security personnel will be deployed in the upcoming assembly elections in the five states by Union Home Ministry. Reportedly, around 750 companies of paramilitary forces will be deployed for smooth conduct of the election process in the five states.
