English हिन्दी
Connect with us

Latest Politics News

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

Published

8 years ago

on

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.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

India News

Abhishek Banerjee says will not bow to BJP after nearly 11 hours of ED questioning

After spending nearly 11 hours before the Enforcement Directorate, TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee said he would not bow to the BJP and accused the ruling party of using investigative agencies for political purposes.

Published

7 hours ago

on

June 16, 2026

By

Abhishek Banerjee

Trinamool Congress leader and Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee on Tuesday said he would not bow to the BJP after spending nearly 11 hours being questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with an ongoing investigation.

Speaking after the questioning, Banerjee alleged that central agencies were being used to target opposition leaders and asserted that he would continue his political fight despite what he described as sustained pressure.

The TMC leader has repeatedly maintained that investigations involving him are politically motivated, a charge he has made on several previous occasions while appearing before central agencies.

His appearance before the ED comes amid a period of heightened political activity and multiple investigations involving leaders in West Bengal. Recent days have also seen Banerjee face summons and questioning in separate matters by state investigative agencies.

After leaving the ED office, Banerjee reiterated that he would not be intimidated and said he remained committed to his political responsibilities. He also accused the BJP of attempting to weaken opposition parties through investigative action, an allegation that the BJP has rejected in the past.

The Enforcement Directorate has not publicly commented on Banerjee’s remarks. The investigation related to the questioning remains ongoing.

Continue Reading

India News

DMK attacks Rahul Gandhi, accuses him of weakening opposition unity

DMK has intensified its criticism of Rahul Gandhi, alleging that the Congress leader’s actions have weakened opposition unity and strained relations within the INDIA bloc.

Published

8 hours ago

on

June 16, 2026

By

Rahul-Gandhi

The war of words between the DMK and Congress has intensified, with the DMK launching a strong attack on Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and accusing him of contributing to divisions within the opposition alliance. The criticism comes amid strained ties between the two parties following their political split in Tamil Nadu.

According to the DMK, Rahul Gandhi’s political approach has weakened unity among opposition parties. The party’s IT wing mocked the Congress leader on social media, while an editorial published in the DMK’s official mouthpiece Murasoli questioned his recent remarks on opposition solidarity.

DMK questions Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on opposition unity

In its editorial, Murasoli argued that Rahul Gandhi was speaking about opposition unity despite, according to the DMK, contributing to disagreements among alliance partners in several states. The publication cited criticism directed at Congress by various opposition parties and suggested that the party’s actions had often created tensions within the INDIA bloc.

The editorial also referred to past political disputes involving Congress and Left parties, particularly in Kerala, claiming such episodes had raised concerns among opposition allies about Congress’s approach toward its partners.

Tamil Nadu political fallout adds to tensions

The attack comes after a major political realignment in Tamil Nadu. Following the 2026 Assembly elections, Congress ended its alliance with the DMK and joined the government led by Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). The move left the DMK in the opposition and significantly altered the political equation between the two former allies.

The DMK has alleged that Congress benefited from the alliance during the election and later abandoned its partner. The party’s editorial questioned whether assurances from Congress leadership would be trusted by alliance partners after the developments in Tamil Nadu.

Congress rejects allegations

Congress has not issued a detailed official response to the editorial, but party sources have rejected the allegations. According to the party, its decisions in Tamil Nadu were made in line with the mandate delivered by voters and were not intended to undermine either the DMK or the broader opposition alliance.

The latest exchange highlights growing strains between two key opposition parties even as leaders continue to stress cooperation on national issues. Just days earlier, Rahul Gandhi had said that the DMK remained aligned with the opposition on defending the “idea of India” despite political differences.

Continue Reading

India News

Congress, SP send mixed signals on AIMIM’s role ahead of 2027 Uttar Pradesh polls

Congress and Samajwadi Party leaders have responded differently to questions about AIMIM’s role ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, highlighting ongoing discussions over opposition strategy.

Published

1 day ago

on

June 15, 2026

By

Differing responses from Congress and Samajwadi Party leaders have highlighted varying approaches within the Opposition camp regarding the possible role of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) in the run-up to the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

The discussion gained momentum after AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi launched his party’s campaign preparations for the 2027 elections from Bahraich and reiterated that his party is open to alliances, provided it is treated with respect and as an equal partner.

Different responses from Congress and SP

Reacting to questions about a possible understanding with AIMIM, Congress leader Imran Masood said any decision on alliances would be taken by the party leadership. He also stressed that there could be no compromise with communalism.

On the other hand, Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav adopted a more accommodating tone, stating that anyone capable of defeating the BJP would be welcome. His remarks were viewed as leaving the door open to broader anti-BJP political cooperation.

The differing responses have drawn attention as Opposition parties continue to assess their electoral strategies ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

AIMIM steps up preparations

AIMIM has begun expanding its campaign activity in Uttar Pradesh, with Owaisi launching the party’s preparations from Bahraich. The Hyderabad MP has indicated that AIMIM is willing to consider alliances but has maintained that any partnership must be based on mutual respect and equality.

The party is also working to strengthen its organisational presence in the state as it seeks a larger role in Uttar Pradesh politics ahead of the next Assembly election.

No formal alliance announced

Despite the ongoing discussion, no formal alliance or seat-sharing arrangement involving AIMIM and major Opposition parties has been announced so far.

With more than a year remaining before the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, political equations are expected to evolve as parties finalise their strategies and alliance plans.

Continue Reading

Trending

© Copyright 2022 APNLIVE.com