The Gujarat Assembly elections will be held in two phases on December 1 and 5 with the counting of votes to be held on December 8, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar announced here on Thursday.
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Of the 182 Assembly constituencies in the State, 89 seats spread across 19 districts will go to polls in the first phase, including Morbi, where a recent bridge collapse claimed over 140 lives. The second phase will cover 93 constituencies in 14 districts.
The Morbi bridge collapse and its aftermath were among the factors considered in preparing the poll schedule., according to the CEC. “There is a need to balance several factors when it comes to such announcements; not only were there various factors, there was also a very grievous accident that occurred there which needed to be kept in mind. In fact, there was State mourning [in Gujarat] as recently as yesterday,” Mr. Kumar said.
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The schedule was prepared after taking into consideration “all relevant aspects”, said the CEC, listing factors such as the climatic conditions, the academic calendar, major festivals, the prevailing law and order situation, and “in-depth assessment of other relevant ground realities”.
Poll promises
On the contentious issue of freebies, Mr. Kumar noted that “serious macroeconomic strains” were becoming visible in countries across the world due to electoral promises. The Election Commission of India is working on a “basic framework” based on transparent disclosures related to the promises being made by political parties and their candidates, he said.
While it was the average political candidate’s choice to promise what they wanted to in their manifesto, at the same time, it was also the right of the voter and other stakeholders to know the means of fulfilment of these promises, he added.
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Social media watch
In addition to requesting political parties to ensure that their candidates and supporters did not indulge in hate speeches and fake news, the Commission announced that it was keeping a strict watch on social media posts to ensure that the election atmosphere was not vitiated.
The CEC encouraged citizens to step forward with complaints related to violations of the Model Code of Conduct on the cVigil App, assuring action within a 100-minute timeline.
The State’s rolls have 4.91 crore electors, who will cast their ballots at 51,782 polling stations. The 2022 Assembly polls will provide 4.61 lakh voters the opportunity to exercise their franchise for the first time, Mr. Kumar said.
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More than 3.24 lakh voters have been added to the list after turning 18 years old between January and September 2022, while 9.88 lakh voters have been classified as senior citizens. There are 4.04 lakh voters with disabilities, and 1,417 third gender voters on the rolls.
Here’s a look at the key dates for Assembly polls in Gujarat:
Issue of notification: November 5 and November 10 for Phase 1 and Phase 2 respectively
Last Date of making nominations: November 14 and November 17 for Phase 1 and Phase 2 respectively
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Scrutiny of nominations: November 15 and November 19 for Phase 1 and Phase 2 respectively
Last date for withdrawal of candidatures: November 17 and November 21 for Phase 1 and Phase 2 respectively
Date of poll: December 1 and December 5 for Phase 1 and Phase 2 respectively
Counting of votes: December 8
End of process: December 10