Assembly Elections 2021 Live Updates:
Polls are to be held for 294 seats in West Bengal, 234 seats in Tamil Nadu, 140 seats in Kerala, 126 seats in Assam and 30 seats in Puducherry.Assembly Elections 2021 Dates: The Election Commission Friday announced the schedule for upcoming Assembly elections in Assam, Kerala, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
While the state of West Bengal will go to polls in eight phases, Assam will see three-phase voting starting March 27. Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry will be held in single phases on April 6. (Click here to know the full schedule)
Counting of votes for the four states and one union territory will be done on May 2.
Polls are to be held for 294 seats in West Bengal, 234 seats in Tamil Nadu, 140 seats in Kerala, 126 seats in Assam and 30 seats in Puducherry. After the Bihar assembly elections, which were held in November 2020, elections to these states will also be held amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Election Commission is expected to implement a similar protocol for voting.
Welcoming EC's decision to conduct polls in eight-phases, BJP national secretary Kailash Vijayvarghia said that it was imperative to conduct fair polls.
"Along with the announcement of elections, anti-social elements will also have to be controlled for peaceful elections in West Bengal. Also, fair officers should also be appointed in every district of the state so that there is no disturbance in the election," he said in a tweet.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has questioned the Election Commission‘s decision to conduct the West Bengal Assembly Election in eight phases. She also questioned the election schedule in districts in two or three parts. She has alleged that the ECI is doing on the requisition of the ruling BJP.
The West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress chief asked the EC that if Assam polls can be conducted in three phases and Tamil Nadu in one then why Bengal polls were being bifurcated into eight phases. She also alleged that the decision was taken to suit the convenience of the BJP. More details here.
The opposition parties in West Bengal welcomed the eight-phase elections in the state announced by the Election Commission on Friday with the BJP saying that it was hopeful about the polls being free and fair.
The state Congress said that it was looking forward to an election in 10 to 12 phases, while the CPI(M) maintained that the number of phases does not matter if the elections are held violence-free.
"We are happy. We hope that the elections would be free and fair and the people of the state will be allowed to exercise their democratic right without any fear," BJP's state vice-president Jaiprakash Majumdar said.
State Congress leader Manoj Chakraborty said the elections should have been held in at least 10-12 phases, alleging poor law and order situation in the state. (PTI)
Even as the Election Commission declared the poll schedule for the upcoming Assembly elections in four states and a Union Territory, it emphasised the need to strictly follow Covid-19 guidelines amidst the pandemic.
Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora said voting will be allowed for an extra hour, adding that arrangements would be made for candidates to file nominations online. He further said that all poll officials will be vaccinated against Covid-19 before the elections.
“Vaccination drive has made the situation more conducive for elections. Everyone on poll duty will be declared frontline worker for vaccine purpose,” the election commissioner added. Further, door-to-door campaigning has been restricted to five persons including the candidate. However, roadshows have been permitted. More details here.
Further raising objection to EC's decision, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said: "I respect EC's decision, but why break-up the districts. South 24 Parganas is our stronghold, voting there will be held in 3 different phases. Has this been done as per Modi and Shah's convenience?"
"Request the Election Commission to consider West Bengal as their own state, not through the eyes of BJP," she added.
Soon after the Election Commission announced polling dates, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee questioned the rationale behind the poll body's decision to conduct eight-phase assembly polls in Bengal.
"Eight-phase election in Bengal raises many questions as other states are voting on a single day," Banerjee was quoted saying by news agency PTI.
The Election Commission today announced the schedule for upcoming Assembly elections in Assam, Kerala, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. Here are the highlights:
*The Assembly polls will be held in Assam in three phases — March 27, April 4 and April 6.
*In Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, polling will be held in a single phase on April 6.
*The polls will be held in eight phases in West Bengal starting from March 27. Polling dates in Bengal are March 27, April 1, April 6, April 10, April 17, April 22, April 26 and April 29.
*Results for all the elections will be declared on May 02.
*Polls are to be held for 294 seats in West Bengal, 234 seats in Tamil Nadu, 140 seats in Kerala, 126 seats in Assam and 30 seats in Puducherry.
*As many as 18.68 crore voters will be eligible to cast their votes at 2.7 lakh polling stations for 824 assembly seats across the four states and one UT.
*All poll officials will be vaccinated before the elections
*EC will appoint two special observers for West Bengal and a third can also be sent if required.
*Voting will be allowed for an additional hour, keeping in mind Covid-19 safety guidelines, CEC Sunil Arora said.
*Door-to-door campaigning will be restricted to five persons, including the candidate. Roadshows are allowed with a maximum of five vehicles.
"This will be the last set of elections during my tenure before I demit office on April 13," CEC Sunila Arora said during the press briefing.
Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora Friday announced that Election Commission will appoint 2 special observers for the West Bengal polls. "A third observer can be sent if needed," he said.
Two more parliamentary seats will to the polls during these upcoming elections–Belgaum (Karnataka) and Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh). Bypoll in Kerala's Malappuram will also be held on April 6 along with the Assembly vote.
Here's the full election schedule for the 2021 Assembly elections.
Counting of votes for the elections in the four states and one Union Territory (Puducherry) will be held on May 2.
Elections in West Bengal will be held in eight phases, CEC Sunil Arora announced. Voting will be held on– March 27, April 01, April 06, April 10, April 17, April 22, April 26 and April 29. Election results will be announced on May 2.
Elections in the Union Territory of Puducherry will be held in a single phase.
-Date of issue of gazette notification: March 12
-Last date of nomination: March 19
-Scrutiny of nomination: March 20
-Last date of withdrawal of candidature: March 22
-Dates of polling: April 6
-Date of counting: May 2
The election for 234 seats in Tamil Nadu will be held in a single phase. Here's the schedule:
-Date of issue of gazette notification: March 12
-Last date of nomination: March 19
-Scrutiny of nomination: March 20
-Last date of withdrawal of candidature: March 22
-Dates of polling: April 6
-Date of counting: May 2
Here's the election schedule for the state of Kerala. Election here will be held in a single phase.
-Date of issue of gazette notification: March 12
-Scrutiny of nomination: March 20
-Last date of withdrawal of candidature: March 22
-Dates of polling: April 6
-Date of counting: May 2
Elections in Assam to be held in three phases starting from March 27. Results will be declared on May 2.
The Model Code of Conduct will come into force immediately after the announcement of the election dates, Sunil Arora, Chief Election Commissioner says at the press conference.
"Adequate CAPFs deployment shall be ensured during elections. All critical, vulnerable polling stations identified and an adequate number of CAPFs will be deployed," CEC Sunil Arora was quoted as saying by ANI.
Guidelines to be followed for the upcoming elections:
*Door-to-door campaigning to be restricted to five persons including candidate.
*Roadshows allowed
*Separate norms for suspected Covid-19 patients.
*Polling officials to be vaccinated.