ELECTIONS DATE ANNOUNCED FOR FIVE STATES

ELECTIONS DATE ANNOUNCED FOR FIVE STATES

16-MARCH-ENG 1

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL,

DELHI---------------------------The Election Commission on Sunday announced the dates for the assembly elections in West Bengal, Kerala, Assam, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry. The counting of votes for all these states will take place on May 4.

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar stated that voting for the West Bengal Assembly will be held in two phases, on April 23 and April 29.

Speaking at a press conference, he informed that voting for the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly will be held on April 23.

Kumar noted that voting for Kerala, Assam, and Puducherry will be conducted in a single phase on April 9.

He further stated that the counting of votes for the 824 seats across the four states and the Union Territory going to assembly polls will take place on May 4.

Kumar emphasized that elections must be free from violence or inducement, and the Commission will take strict action against any violation.

With the announcement of the election schedule, the Model Code of Conduct has come into force with immediate effect.

Kumar was accompanied by two Election Commissioners—Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi.

The Chief Election Commissioner remarked, "An accurate voter list is the cornerstone of our democracy; no eligible voter should be excluded, and no ineligible voter should be included."

He informed that a total of 174 million voters are eligible to cast their votes in the elections covering 824 constituencies across the five state assemblies. He added that voting will be conducted at 219,000 polling stations across the four states and the Union Territory, where 2.5 million election officials will be deployed on duty.

He noted that the total number of voters across these four states and the Union Territory is equivalent to the combined population of Australia, France, South Africa, Germany, and Canada.

The Chief Election Commissioner stated that representatives from the election bodies of 20 countries would visit the poll-bound states to witness India's "festival of democracy." Kumar stated that in Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal, the average number of voters per polling station ranges from 750 to 900.

Kumar also congratulated the BLOs for their commendable work during the Special Summary Revision (SSR) of the electoral rolls.

He informed that the Presiding Officers deployed at all polling stations would upload the voter turnout percentage every two hours, and the final polling figures would be uploaded immediately after the conclusion of the elections.

Tamil Nadu has a total of 234 Assembly seats, where DMK leader M.K. Stalin has served as Chief Minister since May 7, 2021.

West Bengal has a total of 294 Assembly seats, where Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee has been in power since 2011. Kerala has a total of 140 Assembly seats, where Leftist leader Pinarayi Vijayan has served as Chief Minister since 2016, leading the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government.

Assam has 126 Assembly seats; the BJP has been in power in this northeastern state since 2016, with Himanta Biswa Sarma serving as Chief Minister since 2021.

Puducherry Chief Minister N. Rangasamy has been in power since 2021. The Union Territory has a total of 33 seats, including three members nominated by the Centre.