NEW DELHI : The Assembly elections in three key Hindi heartland states of Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh, along with Telangana and Mizoram, will be held from November 7 to November 30, and counting of votes is scheduled for December 3.
The elections in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana, and Mizoram will be held in single phase while polling in Chhattisgarh will be held in two phases. The voting will be held in Mizoram, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh (Phase 1) on 7 November; Chhattisgarh phase 2 on 17 November; Rajasthan on November 23; Telangana on November 30. the Election Commission (EC) announced on Monday.
Nearly 16 crore voters would be eligible to cast their votes in these elections, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar said at a press conference while asserting that strong measures are being put in place to make these polls inducement-free. Candidates with criminal record will have to give information about their case. Elderly voters will be able to exercise their franchise from home.
Elderly voters will be able to cast their vote from home. 60 lakh young voters will take part in voting for the first time. No polling station will be at a distance of more than 2 km. Additional polling stations will be created for tribals. The Election Commission has appealed to all the countrymen to vote enthusiastically. – Parties will have to give information about donations by 31st October. Only then will you get exemption in income tax.
The BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh will elect legislators from 230 constituencies while the Congress- governed Rajasthan Assembly comprises 200 seats. In Telangana, the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi will face off against BJP and the Congress over 119 Assembly seats. In the 90-seat Chhattisgarh assembly, Congress is all set to fight the BJP while both the parties will attempt to get a foothold in the 40-seat Assembly of Mizoram, currently led by the Mizo National Front.
According to the polling body, a total of 1.77 lakh polling stations will be set up out of which 1.01 lakhs will have the webcasting facility. “Also 17,734 model polling stations will be set up,” On the occasion, the C Vigil app was also launched. “It will allow anyone in the election-bound state to report violations of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) that comes into effect from today. Citizens can immediately report incidents of misconduct within minutes of having witnessed them,” EC said.
CEC Rajiv Kumar added “Polls in the 5 states hold a unique significance as they serve as the final assembly elections before the grand stage of the National Elections in 2024.” He further ensured that ECI will ensure free, fair and inducement free elections in these five states.
While Mizoram will go to polls on November 7, Chhattisgarh will vote in two phases on November 7 and 17, MP on November 17, Rajasthan on November 23, and Telangana on November 30. The EC said 161.4 million electors, a sixth of the total, will exercise their right to vote in the final round of Assembly polls before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.The results of these elections are thought to indicate the national mood, especially of the heartland states, before the Lok Sabha polls next year.
Around 60 lakh first time voters between 18-19 years will participate in elections of the five states. “To inspire young voters, over 2900 polling stations will be managed by youth,” EC said. Of the 60.2 lakh first-time voters in five states, 50,611 are first-time voters in Mizoram with 7.23 lakh in Chhattisgarh, 22.36 lakh in Madhya Pradesh, 22.04 lakh in Rajasthan 8.11 lakh in Telangana.
While the Congress currently runs governments in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is in power in MP, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi in Telangana, and the Mizo National Front, an ally of the BJP in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), in Mizoram. This will also be the first round of polls after 26 parties formed the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc. However, its constituents, such as the Aam Aadmi Party and Samajwadi Party, have decided to field candidates against ally Congress in the Hindi heartland states.
Announcing the poll schedule, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar bemoaned the flurry of freebies that state governments announce barely a month or a fortnight before the polls. “There is undoubtedly a ‘tadka’ of populism in these announcements,” Kumar said, adding how it becomes difficult to either implement or stop such sops for the winner of the elections, which is why people had a right to know how these freebies will be implemented. EC had recently brought out a proforma for parties and states to explain how and when the promises made by them in their poll manifesto will be implemented.
Parties and state were asked about the debt to GDP ratio, interest payment to total revenue and whether they will breach the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) targets. The governments were also asked whether they will reduce some of the schemes to implement what has been promised in the manifesto, and whether there will be an extra burden of tax on the people.“The intention behind it was to bring every thing in public domain,” he said. Voters should know the picture which emerges on the basis of financial fundamentals, he said, adding there has to be a balance on present versus mortgaging the future generations. “These announcements have a ‘tadka’ of populism. It is difficult to either implement or stop such (sops). Therefore, people have a right to know how these freebies will be implemented,” he said.
Meanwhile, The Aam Aadmi Party is ready to contest the upcoming assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan with full strength and the names of candidates will be declared soon, its national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said Monday.
Asked about the AAP’s preparation for the polls, Kejriwal said, “We are prepared to contest the elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh with full strength.” When asked whether his party will contest the elections as part of the INDIA bloc, he said that “whatever happens will be apprised”.
(Bureau Report With Agencies Inputs).

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