Assembly polls to 5 states to be held between Feb 10- Mar 7: ECI

The Election Commission of India announced on Sunday that the elections to the state assemblies of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Punjab and Manipur shall be held from February 10 to March 7. The counting of votes shall take place on March 10.

Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra has informed that the election in UP will be held in six phases; February 10, 14, 20, 23 and March 3 and 7. In Punjab, Goa, and Uttarakhand, elections would be held in a single phase on February 14. In Manipur, it would be conducted in two phases; on February 27 and March 3.

Full covid protocols would be followed for the elections. No physical rallies roadshows, padyatras, or vehicle rallies are allowed till January 15, keeping in mind the Covid situation across the country. Instead, parties have been advised to campaign virtually.

Full covid protocol would be followed for the elections as well. All election officials will be double vaccinated, given a booster dose and treated as frontline workers. Booths shall be fully sanitised and polling staff provided with adequate gloves, sanitisers etc. Polling time has also been increased by an hour.

In the five poll-bound states, over 15 crore people have received their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, and over nine crores have received both.

As per the final electoral rolls published on January 5, there are a total of 18.34 crore voters this time, including service voters. While all states have seen an increase in the number of voters, the maximum increase is in Uttar Pradesh. Of the total voter population, 24.5 lakh are first-time voters and 8.55 crore are women. The average number of voters per polling booth has been capped, increasing the number of polling stations to 30,334.

As per Chandra, the Commission had set three goals for the upcoming polls; Covid-free elections, hassle-free voting experience and maximum participation by voters.