In the first phase, polling will be held for 89 seats while the second phase will see voting for 93 seats…reports Asian Lite News
The Gujarat Assembly polls will be held in two phases on December 1 and 5, the Election Commission announced here on Thursday.
The counting of votes will be taken up on December 8, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said.
In the first phase, polling will be held for 89 seats while the second phase will see voting for 93 seats.
Gujarat has a strong 4,90,89,765 electorate, which includes 2,53,36,610 males and 2,37,51,738 females.
The term of the 182-member state Assembly ends on February 18, 2023. After the poll dates were announced, the Model Code of Conduct came into force in the state.
Earlier, the poll panel had announced the dates for the Himachal Pradesh Assembly polls.
Election in Himachal Pradesh will be held in a single phase on November 12 and the counting of votes will be taken up on December 8.
In the 2017 Gujarat Assembly polls too, elections were held in two phases, and the BJP had formed the government.
EC’s answers to questions of neutrality
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar, reacting to questions being raised on the autonomous status of the Election Commission, said that “actions speak louder than words”.
The remarks were made by the CEC after the Congress party, following the “delay” in the announcement of dates for Gujarat Assembly polls, took a jibe at the EC by tweeting that the poll body was an autonomous institution and conducted fair elections.
Responding to queries regarding the “delay” in the announcement, Kumar said that the dates are decided considering the time and geographical conditions. The body has announced the dates 110 days before the assembly is supposed to end, he added.
Kumar added that those who raised questions on EVMs, “realised their fault” once the results came out in their favour.
The CEC also expressed condolences to the victims of Gujarat’s Morbi tragedy and their families.
BJP National President J.P. Nadda on the other hand, welcomed the announcement and claimed that the party, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modia will form a “double-engine” government in Gujarat, with a huge majority.
In a tweet, he added that the BJP would work with commitment to fulfill the aspirations of the people for the next five years.
Gujarat is considered the toughest stronghold of the BJP and the saffron party has been winning the state elections there since 1995.
After Modi came to Delhi as Prime Minister in 2014, the BJP had succeeded in forming the government in the state in 2017, but its tally in the Assembly fall significantly.
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