ECI Announces Dates For Assembly Polls In 5 States

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday announced the dates for the assembly polls in five states including Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa, and Manipur.

Uttar Pradesh will vote in seven phases starting February 10, Goa will vote on February 14 in a single phase, Manipur goes into polls in two phases on February 27, March 3, Uttarakhand votes on February 14 while Punjab will vote on February 14. The counting of votes will be on March 10.

The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sushil Chandra along with Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and Anup Chandra Pandey announced the decisions while addressing a press conference.

The key points from the press conference are:

• The first phase of polling in UP to begin from 10 February.
• Elections to happen in 7 phases in 5 states.
• EC directs no physical political rallies and roadshows will be allowed till January 15, 2022.
• No roadshows, padayatras, cycle or bike rallies, and processions shall be allowed till 15th January; situation to be reviewed and fresh instructions to be issued late.
• All election officials and employees will be considered as frontline workers and all eligible officers will be vaccinated with 'precautionary dos.
• Our cVIGIL application should be used by voters to report any incident of violation of the Model Code of Conduct, distribution of money & freebies. Within 100 minutes of complaint, ECI officials will reach the place of the offence.
• Model Code of Conduct (MCC) comes into effect immediately from the announcement of the schedules. Election Commission has made elaborate arrangements for ensuring the effective implementation of the MCC guidelines.
• It is mandatory for political parties to upload on their website detailed information regarding individuals with pending criminal cases selected as poll candidates. They will also have to give a reason to select the candidate.
• Elections to be held for 403 assembly seats in UP, 117 in Punjab, 70 in Uttarakhand 60 in Manipur, and 40 in Goa.
• As COVID cases soared in view of the Omicron variant, ECI held meetings with the Union Health Secretary & Home Secretary, experts, & health secretaries of States. After taking these views & ground situation, ECI decided to announce polls with safety norms in place.
• We are also giving the candidates the online facility to file nominations.
• ECI has mandated that at least one polling station managed exclusively by women shall be set up in every Assembly constituency. Our officers have identified much more than that. There're 690 Assembly seats but we are setting up 1620 such polling booths.
• Officials at the polling stations will be double vaccinated.
• 24.9 lakh first-time electors are registered in the 5  States including Uttar Pradesh.
• A total of 18.34 crore electors including service voters will take part in this election out of which 8.55 crore are women electors.
• As COVID cases soared in view of the Omicron variant, ECI held meetings with the Union Health Secretary & Home Secretary, experts, & health secretaries of States. After taking these views & ground situation, ECI decided to announce polls with safety norms in place.
• States consulted for conducting elections .

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