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Election dates announced for Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Rajasthan & Telangana; Results on December 11

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Election dates announced for Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Rajasthan & Telangana; Results on December 11

The Election Commission today (Saturday, October 6) announced dates for the Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Mizoram and Telangana Assembly elections. The Model Code of Conduct came into force with the announcement.

The counting of votes of all States will be held on December 11 and results announced the same day, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) OP Rawat said, briefing the media about the poll schedule.

Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan are under BJP rule, Mizoram has a Congress government and Telangana is under Telangana Rashtra Samiti or TRS.

The CEC began the briefing with an apology for delaying the press conference to 3 pm. He said that the commission had to take into account certain last minute considerations, including the matter of publication of electoral roll in Telangana and the decision on by-poll dates in Karnataka, which remains under the threat of poor weather condition.

The Congress had raised questions about the change of timing from morning to 3pm, alleging it was perhaps done in view of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally in Ajmer, Rajasthan, at 1 pm, to delay the model code of conduct coming into force. And, notably, Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje announced free electricity for farmers at a joint rally in Ajmer, Punjab Kesari reported.

Election schedule for states

The election in Chhattisgarh will be held in two phases. CEC OP Rawat said election for 18 Naxalism-hit constituencies were being held on November 12, separately, to ensure proper security arrangements. In the second phase, the election in 72 constituencies will be held on November 20.

PHASE 1

Nomination: 23rd Oct

Scrutiny: 24th Oct

Withdrawal: 26th Oct

Voting: 12th Nov

PHASE 2

Nomination: 2nd Nov

Scrutiny: 3rd Nov

Withdrawal: 5th Nov

Poll Date: 20th Nov

Legislative elections in Madhya Pradesh and Mizoram will be held on November 28.

Nomination: 9th Nov

Scrutiny: 12th Nov

Withdrawal: 14th Nov

Voting: 28th Nov

The Election Commission said that the states of Rajasthan (200 seats) and Telangana (119 seats) will go to polls together on 7 December. CEC OP Rawat said that Telangana elections were being kept on the fag end of the current phase of the polling exercise so that the poll panel could get enough to time to prepare for conducting polling.

Nomination: 19th Nov

Scrutiny: 20th Nov

Withdrawal: 22nd Nov

Voting: 7th Dec

By-polls in Shimoga, Bellary and Mandya in Karnataka to be held on November 03.

The term of Mizoram’s 50-member House expires on December 15, 2018. Chhattisgarh’s Assembly, comprising 90 members, ends on January 5, 2019. The tenure of the Madhya Pradesh 230-member House expires on January 7, 2019. The 200-member Rajasthan House expires on January 20, 2019.

Elections in Telangana were necessitated after Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao recently dissolved the House to avoid a possible clubbing of Assembly polls with the Lok Sabha elections.

Election Commissioner OP Rawat said that polling slips will also be issued in Braille because the poll panels aim remains to make election process accessible to all. He said that all-women booths will also be set up where security officials will also be women.

These assembly polls, happening less than six months before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, are seen as a crucial indicator of voter mood and would be watched closely. According to most opinion polls, both Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself and his government have suffered a decline in their popularity, though still ahead of Congress and other rivals. But the voting in states may be on a different pattern – people may favour Modi as PM but may not be happy with the government or the chief minister in the state.

In the bigger states – Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan – and Chhattisgarh, there is a direct contest between BJP and Congress.

The BJP has been in power in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh for the past 15 years. In both these states, it has chief ministers – Shivraj Singh Chouhan (MP) and Raman Singh (Chhattisgarh) – who enjoy a mass base. In contrast, the Congress has no leader with a pan-Chhattisgarh base. Much of its state leadership was wiped out in a naxal attack five years ago, and its former chief minister Ajit Jogi has floated his own outfit.

In MP, the Congress has a problem of plenty and is beset with factional feuds between state unit chief Kamal Nath, campaign committee chief Jyotiraditya Scindia, former chief minister Digvijaya Singh, former union ministers Suresh Pachouri and Arun Yadav and incumbent Leader of Opposition Ajay Singh. Their main concern has been to retain their dominance in the party – or what remains of it due to this feud – and try to win over the rival in the party rather than try for victory over the rival party.

In Rajasthan, a state which traditionally votes out an incumbent government every five years, the BJP is currently in power. Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje is facing a strong anti-incumbency and no longer enjoys support of either the central leadership of Modi and Shah or of her party’s state cadres. The Congress here, under state unit chief Sachin Pilot, has been making an impressive revival but his ambitions of becoming chief minister also clash with Ashok Gehlot, a former CM and arguably the most powerful national general secretary of the Congress under the Rahul Gandhi dispensation. The Congress would hope, and pray, that Gehlot and Pilot don’t work at cross purposes and jeopardize the best chance of a victory that the Congress has in this round of elections. There are hopes that Gehlot would go for a role at the all-India level and leave the reins of the state unit to Pilot.

In Telangana, the Congress is eyeing an alliance with Left parties, YSR Congress and Chandrababu Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party while the BJP is hoping for either an alliance or a “calculated understanding” with Chandrasekhar Rao’s Telangana Rashtra Samiti. The TRS leader K Chandrasekhar Rao has said his party’s principles are opposed to BJP’s politics, but has also backed NDA at the centre.

In Mizoram, the only Congress-ruled state going to polls in this round, the BJP is hoping to stitch together an alliance with regional outfits to oust chief minister Lal Thanhawla and effectively wipe out Congress rule from the north east region.

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Kharge, Rahul Gandhi skip Independence Day event for 2nd straight year

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi skipped the 80th Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort for the second consecutive year.

Published

1 day ago

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August 15, 2026

By

Rahul Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi skipped the 80th Independence Day celebrations at Delhi’s Red Fort for the second consecutive year.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the Independence Day celebrations at the historic venue on Saturday.

The absence of the two senior Congress leaders comes amid strained relations between the ruling party and the Opposition, which further deteriorated during the Monsoon Session of Parliament that concluded on Thursday.

2024 seating controversy

Rahul Gandhi had attended the Independence Day celebrations in 2024 but his seating arrangement triggered a controversy. The Congress leader, who holds the status of a Cabinet minister as Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, was seated in the second-last row during the ceremony at the Red Fort.

The Opposition had criticised the seating arrangement, calling it an insult to the people. The Defence Ministry, which organised the event, said the arrangement had been modified to accommodate Olympians at the venue.

According to protocol, the Leader of the Opposition is seated in the front row during ceremonial events.

Opposition-ruling party tensions

Relations between the government and the Opposition remained tense during the Monsoon Session, which ended on Thursday.

The session saw repeated clashes between the two sides, with both the Opposition and the ruling party blaming each other for the low productivity of Parliament.

The session began on July 20, with students marching towards Parliament on the first day. Twelve bills were passed during the session, while detailed discussion took place on only one legislation, concerning paper leaks.

The Congress, along with the Trinamool Congress and Samajwadi Party, also boycotted the customary tea party hosted by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla after the House was adjourned sine die.

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Assam BJP leader Bikash Dhar found dead, 5 arrested for murder

BJP leader Bikash Dhar, 52, was found dead in an abandoned house in Assam’s Sribhumi district after being reported missing on August 12. Police have arrested five people in connection with the alleged murder.

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2 days ago

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August 14, 2026

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A 52-year-old BJP leader who had been missing for two days was found dead in Assam’s Sribhumi district on Friday, with police alleging that he was murdered.

Bikash Dhar, a resident of Chagalmowa village under Bazaricherra police station, was found dead inside an abandoned house in the Yogicherra area near the Tripura border on Friday morning.

Dhar’s family had filed a missing complaint on August 12 after he left home following a phone call.

According to his son Madan Dhar, Bikash left around 1 pm after saying that he had to attend an emergency meeting. When he did not return and his phone was switched off, the family began searching for him and later approached the police.

Five arrested in murder case

Sribhumi Superintendent of Police Leena Doley said an investigation was launched after the missing complaint was received. The probe was conducted under the supervision of the Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime).

Police said five people have been arrested in connection with the alleged murder. They were identified as Abdul Salam, Sifat Ali, Abdul Ahad, Saiful Ali and Badrul Haque.

According to the police, interrogation of Abdul Salam revealed that the accused had an enmity with Dhar. Police alleged that the group killed him and dumped his body near a water body.

Another person, identified as Sunam Miya, was named during the investigation and reportedly fled to Tripura on the night of the incident.

Police find injury and cut marks on body

Police said injury and cut marks were found on Dhar’s body, and a murder case has been registered.

During the recovery of the alleged weapon, police said accused Badrul Haque attempted to escape from custody. A police constable was injured during the incident.

Police said they fired at Haque’s leg to prevent him from escaping, resulting in a bullet wound.

The investigation into the circumstances surrounding Dhar’s death and the alleged involvement of the accused is underway.

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Karnataka Cabinet clears public property bill amid RSS registration row

Karnataka Cabinet approves a Bill to regulate the use of government premises and public property amid a political row over RSS registration.

Published

2 days ago

on

August 14, 2026

By

Priyank Kharge

The Karnataka Cabinet has approved a proposed law to regulate the use of government premises and public property in the state, amid an ongoing political debate over the registration and use of public spaces by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

The Karnataka Regulation of Use of Government Premises and Public Property Bill, 2026 was cleared by the Cabinet, Home Minister Priyank Kharge said after the meeting.

According to the government, the proposed legislation aims to establish a legal framework governing the use of government lands, buildings, playgrounds, parks, roads and other public assets by private individuals, organisations, associations and societies.

Kharge said the objective was to prevent unauthorised use and misuse of public property while ensuring that such assets are protected for public benefit.

What the Karnataka public property bill proposes

The proposed legislation is expected to lay down procedures for obtaining permission to use government property for events, meetings and other activities.

It also proposes provisions for penalties in cases involving misuse of government premises or damage to public property, according to officials.

The government is expected to introduce the Bill in the Karnataka legislature, where it will be taken up for discussion and passage.

Priyank Kharge denies Bill targets RSS

The proposed legislation comes against the backdrop of a row involving the RSS and its use of public property in Karnataka.

Kharge, however, rejected speculation that the Bill had been framed specifically against the RSS or any other organisation. He said the government did not have a particular institution, association, organisation, society, club, union, syndicate or NGO in mind.

The issue has been part of a wider political debate since 2025, with Kharge opposing the use of government premises and public property by the RSS and calling for the organisation to register formally.

In June, Kharge also wrote to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat seeking clarity on the organisation’s legal status, financial transparency and constitutional accountability.

The development is likely to keep the debate over the use of public property and the legal status of organisations in Karnataka in focus as the proposed legislation moves to the state legislature.

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