EC officials to visit Gujarat, Himachal to prepare for upcoming assembly polls

In order to examine the state of preparation for the next assembly elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, which are scheduled for later this year, chief election commissioner Rajiv Kumar and commissioner Anup Chandra Pandey will arrive in Gujarat on Thursday for a three-day visit.

Earlier this week, a nine-person team from the Election Commission of India (ECI) met with P Bharathi, the chief electoral officer of Gujarat, to discuss poll readiness. Electoral roll modification, transportation, security, training, and other topics were reviewed at the meeting, which was also attended by district election officials, commissioners, and police superintendents.

The terms of the assembly of Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh will expire on January 8 and February 23, respectively. By the end of this year, elections are anticipated. In 2017, Gujarat held two rounds of voting on December 9 and 14, while Himachal Pradesh held elections on November 9.

Gujarat has been ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) since 1998. Prior to the assembly elections, the Aam Aadmi Party made an effort to establish a presence in the state in a bid to broaden its support outside its traditional strongholds of Punjab and Delhi. In 2017, the BJP defeated the Congress and took back control of Himachal.