Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal will head for Assembly elections in phases starting on April 9, the Election Commission announced on Sunday. The results in all states will be announced on May 4.
The polling in Assam, Kerala and Puducherry will take place in a single phase on April 9.
In Tamil Nadu, the voting will take place in a single phase on April 23.
In West Bengal, the polling will take place in two phases on April 23 and April 29.
The Model Code of Conduct came into force with the poll schedule being announced.
The code is a set of guidelines issued by the poll panel that political parties, candidates and the government must follow during an election. It sets guardrails for speeches, campaigning, meetings, processions, election manifestos and other aspects of the polls.
More than 17.4 crore electors will be eligible to vote in the polls.
Schedule for Assam, Kerala, Puducherry and TN
| Process | Assam | Kerala | Puducherry | Tamil Nadu |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of issue of gazette notification | March 16 | March 16 | March 16 | March 30 |
| Last date of making nominations | March 23 | March 23 | March 23 | April 6 |
| Date of scrutiny of nominations | March 24 | March 24 | March 24 | April 7 |
| Last date for withdrawal of candidates | March 26 | March 26 | March 26 | April 9 |
| Date of polling | April 9 | April 9 | April 9 | April 23 |
| Date of counting of votes | May 4 | May 4 | May 4 | May 4 |
| Date before which election shall be completed | May 6 | May 6 | May 6 | May 6 |
Schedule for West Bengal
| Process | Phase 1 | Phase 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Date of issue of gazette notification | March 30 | April 2 |
| Last date of making nominations | April 6 | April 9 |
| Date of scrutiny of nominations | April 7 | April 10 |
| Last date for withdrawal of candidates | April 9 | April 13 |
| Date of polling | April 23 | April 29 |
| Date of counting of votes | May 4 | May 4 |
| Date before which election shall be completed | May 6 | May 6 |
Bye-elections
The poll panel also announced bye-elections to eight Assembly seats in Goa (Ponda), Gujarat (Umreth), Karnataka (Bagalkot and Davanagere South), Maharashtra (Rahuri and Baramati), Nagaland (Koridang) and Tripura (Dharmanagar).
The voting in Goa, Karnataka Nagaland and Tripura will be held on April 9, and in Gujarat and Maharashtra on April 23. The counting of votes will take place on May 4.
The bye-polls were necessitated by the death of the legislators.
Revised voter lists
The final voter lists in the four states and the Union Territory have been published following the special intensive revision of electoral rolls.
The process is still underway in West Bengal with several voters “under adjudication”.
On February 28, the Election Commission published the final electoral roll for West Bengal, indicating the exclusion of more than 61 lakh voters.
About 60 lakh “doubtful and pending” cases remain “under adjudication” based on their objections to their exclusions from the draft rolls published in December.
The names of those approved by judicial officers will be added to the rolls through a supplementary list.
On February 20, the Supreme Court ordered that judicial officers of the rank of district judge or additional district judge be appointed to help complete the special intensive revision of the electoral rolls in the state amid a tussle between the Trinamool Congress government and the Election Commission.
Four days later, the court allowed judges from Odisha and Jharkhand to also be deployed to decide on the claims and objections raised during the process.
The 2021 results
In West Bengal, the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress has been in power since 2011. The main Opposition in the state over the years has shifted from the Left parties to the Bharatiya Janata Party.
In 2021, the BJP managed to win 77 seats in the 294-member Assembly. The Trinamool had won 215. The other alliance comprising the Left, the Congress and some smaller parties, despite securing a 10% vote share, had won just one seat.
In Assam, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance had won a clear majority. It won 75 seats of the 126-member Assembly. The Opposition Mahajot alliance comprising the Congress, the Left and the All India United Democratic Front had won 50 seats.
After the polls, BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma had become the chief minister, replacing Sarbananda Sonowal.
In Tamil Nadu, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-led alliance, which includes the Congress and the Left, won 159 seats in the 234-member Assembly. The NDA, comprising the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the BJP, had won 75. DMK leader MK Stalin had become the chief minister.
In Kerala, the Left Democratic Front had broken a 44-year trend of incumbents losing power. The alliance picked up 99 seats in the 140-member Assembly. The Congress-led United Democratic Front had won 41.
In Puducherry, the NDA, comprising the All India NR Congress and the BJP, had defeated the United Progressive Alliance of the Congress and the DMK. N Rangaswamy of the NR Congress became the chief minister.
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