NEW DELHI: India's Election Commission announced the dates for the 2022 Assembly elections in five poll-bound states: Punjab, Manipur, Uttar Pradesh, Goa, and Uttarakhand.
Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra, along with ECs Anup Chandra Pandey and Rajiv Kumar, announced the poll schedule and dates. Manipur will vote in two stages on February 27 and March 3. The vote will be counted on March 10th, according to the commission.
The Assembly Elections of 2022 will be held in seven phases for each of the five states starting from Feb 10.
Punjab, Uttarakhand, and Goa will vote in a single phase on February 14, while UP will vote in seven parts from February 10 to March 7. There will be elections for 403 assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh, 117 in Punjab, and 70 in Uttarakhand. According to Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra, 60 votes were cast in Manipur and 40 in Goa.
Due to the Covid issue, no roadshows, padayatra, cycling or bike rallies, or processions will be permitted until the 15th of January. According to CEC, the situation will be evaluated and new orders will be released later. He also stated that the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) takes effect as soon as the schedules are released.
According to the CEC, political parties must provide thorough information on their websites about individuals with ongoing criminal charges who are chosen as poll candidates, as well as why they were chosen.
"With considerable preparations, we intend to conduct Covid-safe elections in five states with maximum voter participation." All polling stations will have Covid-mitigation equipment, such as sanitizers and masks, and the number of booths will be raised," the commission added.
The Congress has announced that no rallies will be held in Uttar Pradesh, and has requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to avoid organizing huge public events in the state.
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