5 States Assembly Voting dates Announced
New Delhi.The Election Commission of India on Saturday announced the dates for assembly polls in the five states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur. Elections will be held in Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand between Jan 28 and March 3 to elect new assemblies,the Election Commission announced on Saturday.The elections will kick off from Manipur on Jan 28, followed by Punjab and Uttarakhand on Jan 30.Uttar Pradesh will see a seven-phase polling: Feb 4, 8, 11, 15, 19, 23 and Feb 28. Goa will go to the polls on March 3.
Chief Election Commissioner SY Qureshi said the vote count will take place March 4 in all five states.The poll schedule was finalised after a meeting between Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi and Election Commissioners VS Sampath and HS Brahma.The poll body on Friday held discussions with home secretary RK Singh on the availability of para-military forces for the assembly polls in the five states.Around 80,000 paramilitary personnel, apart from state policemen, are expected to be deployed during the polls.
The home ministry conveyed to the Election Commission that it was ready to provide 700 to 800 companies (70,000-80,000 personnel) of paramilitary forces for deployment in the five states.The highest number of paramilitary personnel is expected to be deployed in Uttar Pradesh, the country's most populous state with 403 assembly constituencies.
Current status of state assemblies:
Uttar Pradesh (403)
The Bahujan Samaj Party won an absolute majority in the 2007 election.
Chief minister - Mayawati
Last elections held in 2007
BSP won 206 seats out of a total of 403 seats.
Samajwadi Party won 97 seats, while the BJP secured 51 seats in the 2007 assembly polls. Congress won 22 seats and others 27 seats.
Uttarakhand (70)
The last assembly elections were held on 21 February 2007, when the Bharatiya Janata Party emerged as the largest party with 34 seats in the 70-seat legislature. BJP won 34 seats out of a total of 69 seats.
Congress is the official opposition, holding 21 seats.
BC Khanduri of BJP is the incumbent chief minister.
Punjab (117)
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) coalition governs Punjab and Prakash Singh Badal of the Shiromani Akali Dal is the chief minister of state.
Last elections held in 2007
BJP(19) and Shiromani Akali Dal(48) coalition won 68 seats out of a total of 117 seats.
Cong - 44
Independents - 5
Goa (40)
Last election held in 2007
40 assembly seats
Congress won 16
BJP won 14
Save Goa Front (SGF) with two MLAs -- Alemao and Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco -- merged with the Congress and increased its strength from 16 to 18.
Digambar Kamat of Congress is the incumbent chief minister.
Manipur (60)
Okram Ibobi Singh of Congress is the chief minister.
Last elections held in 2007
Congress won 30 seats out of a total of 60.
( Source - Hindustan Times)
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