Election Commission Saturday will announce dates for the Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Mizoram Assembly elections. The EC is expected to make the announcement in a press conference at 3 pm, after which the Model Code of Conduct will come into force. The schedule for the Telangana Assembly Elections is also likely to be announced.
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. Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao recently dissolved the House to avoid a possible clubbing of Assembly polls with the Lok Sabha elections.
ECI chairman clarifies that certain compulsion forced the commission to change the timing of the press conference to announce the election dates earlier in the day. The chairman declines to make any comment on Congress allegations against the Commission.
Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said it has “waited too long” for the Congress and will now “consult” the BSP and the Gondwana Gantantra Party for an alliance in the Madhya Pradesh polls. The move comes days after BSP president Mayawati parted ways with the Congress, alleging that the Rahul Gandhi-led party was adopting a stubborn attitude and it was out to finish her party
The Congress has been in power in Mizoram since 2008. In 2013, it had won the Assembly election after securing 34 seats in the 40-member House. Lal Thanhawala was elected Chief Minister of the state.
Election Commission announces polls dates for Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram:
The Election Commission will announce dates for the Assembly elections to five states today — Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram and Telangana. The tenures of four states, excluding Telangana, end by January 2019. The Telangana House was recently dissolved, warranting early elections in the state.
The Congres has been in power in Mizoram since 2008. It won the 2013 Assembly election after securing 34 seats in the 40-member House. Lal Thanhawala was elected CM of the state.
The BJP is in power in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. In Rajasthan, the party has 160 seats in the 200-member House. Vasundhara Raje in the CM of Rajasthan. In Madhya Pradesh, it won 166 seats in the House and elected Shivraj Singh Chouhan as CM. The BJP won the Chhattisgarh polls in 2013, securing 49 seats in the 91-member House. The Congress came a close second with 39 seats. Raman Singh was elected CM.
