Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana and Mizoram will go to the Assembly polls between 7 and 30 November, and the counting of votes will be on 3 December, the Election Commission said on Monday, setting the stage for what is being seen as the semi-final between the BJP and Opposition parties ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Announcing the election schedule at a press conference here, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar said single-phase Assembly polls will be held in Madhya Pradesh on 17 November, Rajasthan on 23 November, Telangana on 30 November and Mizoram on 7 November, while Chhattisgarh will go to the polls in two phases on 7 November (20 seats) and 17 November (70 seats).
With the announcement of the poll schedule, the model code of conduct has come into force in the five states. The EC has written to the Cabinet Secretary and chief secretaries of the five states to ensure provisions of the model code are enforced immediately.
The high-stakes polls will be a litmus test for the Congress, the biggest party in the fledgling I.N.D.I.A bloc which is in power in two of the four big states, while a lot is riding for the BJP as well, as the results are bound to have a major bearing on the discourse in the run-up to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s re-election bid next year.The BJP and the Congress will be engaged in a direct fight in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, while the two parties are also in contention for power in Telangana, where Chief Minister K.
Chandrashekar Rao-led Bharat Rashtra Samithi is eyeing a third straight term. In Mizoram, regional parties and the Congress will challenge the incumbent Mizo National Front amid the opposition party’s hope that the political polarisation on ethnic lines following violence in Manipur may boost its chances.
However, it is the Assembly polls in three Hindi-speaking states, a BJP stronghold in two consecutive Lok Sabha polls, besides Telangana, which are likely to have an outsize influence on national politics.
Despite losing to the Congress in the Assembly contests, the BJP had swept the 2019 national elections in the three central and western states, which together account for 65 Lok Sabha constituencies, but knows that no two polls are alike and has been mak=ing big moves to regain power there.
In a departure from usual practice, the BJP named a large number of candidates, including several Union ministers and other MPs, in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh before their polling schedule was announced and released fresh lists of more names for the two states and Rajasthan on Monday.
By doing so, the BJP has underlined its determined intent to get the better of the Congress which is fancying its chances after handing its rival a big defeat in Karnataka. The BJP is also hoping to emerge as a big force in Telangana where, observers believe, the Congress has seen a rebound in its fortunes since the Karnataka polls in May.
Nearly 16 crore voters would be eligible to cast their votes in these elections, CEC Rajiv Kumar said while asserting that strong measures are being put in place to make these polls inducement-free. He also said the poll panel has given special emphasis on making electoral rolls inclusive. The focus will be on “roll-to-poll” conversion. He said the poll machinery in the five states will make all-out efforts to ensure greater voter participation on election days.
Kumar said these five states will have 1.77 lakh polling stations, of which 1.01 lakh will have webcasting facilities. The nomination process for Mizoram and the first phase of Chhattisgarh polls will begin on 13 October, while the last date of withdrawing from the electoral battle is 23 October.
For Madhya Pradesh and the second phase of Chhattisgarh polls, the nomination process will begin on 21 October. The last date to withdraw candidature is 2 November. The nomination process for the Rajasthan election will commence from 30 October and the last date to withdraw candidature is 9 November.
The nomination process in Telangana will begin from 3 November and 15 November will be the last date to withdraw from the electoral battle.
Welcoming the announcement of Assembly polls by the EC, BJP president J.P. Nadda claimed that his party will form government in all the states with a big majority under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.
“The BJP will form government in all states with a big majority under respected Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership and will work with commitment to fulfil people’s aspirations in the next five years,” he said.
Voting Dates in Five States
Madhya Pradesh November 17
Rajasthan November 23
Telangana November 30
Chhattisgarh November 7 & 17
Mizoram November 7
