E-Paper
Tripura to vote on Feb 16, Meghalaya, Nagaland on Feb 27; results on March 2
The Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the schedule for the first round of assembly polls in nine states this year
Single-phase polls will be held in Nagaland and Meghalaya on February 27 and in Tripura on February 16 while results will be announced on March 2, the Election Commission of India (ECI) said on Wednesday as it announced the schedule for the first round of assembly polls in nine states this year.
Read here: Tripura election on Feb 16; Nagaland, Meghalaya Feb 27, results on March 2
Polls are also due in Mizoram, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and Telangana this year and are seen as a precursor to the 2024 national elections. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is in power in five of the states going to polls this year. Elections are also expected in Jammu & Kashmir.
January 30 will be the last date for nominations in Tripura and February 7 for Meghalaya and Nagaland. The terms of Nagaland, Meghalaya, and Tripura assemblies are scheduled to end on March 12, 15, and 22.
The BJP is in power on its own in Tripura. It is part of the ruling alliances in Meghalaya and Nagaland.
Each state has 60 constituencies with 59 of them reserved for Scheduled Tribes in Nagaland, 55 in Meghalaya, and 20 in Tripura.
Read here: 16 Opposition parties object to EC’s remote voting machine plan
Chief election commissioner Rajiv Kumar urged people to vote and be a part of the festival of democracy.
The ECI has set up 9,125 polling stations in the three states, where over 628,000 voters are eligible to vote. Of these, 22,000 are first-time voters. Nearly 82% of the polling stations have been set up in rural areas.
The ECI will webcast the polling process live from 73% of the polling stations.
Kumar said the ECI is committed to conducting free, fair, participative, and ethical elections. “There are only a few states where pre-poll and post-poll violence happens. The commission has spoken to the local authorities and all efforts will be made to ensure peaceful elections.”
About 100 companies of central paramilitary forces were being deployed in Tripura’s sensitive areas amid fears of an escalation in political violence before the assembly polls. There has been a steady rise in political violence in the state.
The Opposition Communist Party of India (Marxist) has said at least 24 of its leaders have been killed and over 500 injured in Tripura since the BJP-led alliance came to power in 2018.
The BJP hopes to return to power in the state. In his inaugural address at the party’s national executive meeting, BJP chief JP Nadda on Monday called 2023 a crucial year and asked the cadre to ensure the party wins all the assembly polls, which are a prelude to the 2024 elections.
Read here: Mega Modi vs Opposition showdown on cards as these states go to polls in 2023
The BJP returned to power at the Centre with an increased tally of 303 seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha in 2019. It is in power in 12 states either on its own or in a coalition.
The BJP won Gujarat with a record margin in the last round of assembly polls last year but lost power in Himachal Pradesh to the archrival Congress. It also lost to the Aam Aadmi Party in the municipal polls in Delhi last month.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked BJP workers on Tuesday to intensify the party’s outreach among all sections of society and minorities undertake a membership drive, and focus on people between the ages of 18 and 25. His speech at the BJP national executive meeting gave the first glimpse of the party’s strategy for the 2024 national elections.
