5 State polls: Election Commission announces dates

Agencies

New Delhi , 02 March 2011: A six-phase Assembly elections in West Bengal, a two-stage poll in Assam and a single-day poll in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry were on Tuesday announced by the Election Commission, setting in motion the largest such exercise after the 2009 Lok Sabha polls.

 

West Bengal will have elections in six phases on April 18, 23, 27, May 3, 7 and 10, in perhaps the longest ever in the State. Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry will go to polls on April 13, Assam’s two-phase poll is scheduled on April 4 and 11.

 

Counting of votes in all the five States will take place on May 13. The model code of conduct has come into force immediately, Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi said announcing the schedule.

 

While West Bengal has 294 Assembly constituencies, Tamil Nadu has 234, Kerala 140, Puducherry 30 and Assam 126.

 

The elections are the first battle of the ballot in the new year and would involve over 14.39 crore electorate in the five States with West Bengal having the largest number of over 5.60 crore electors followed by Tamil Nadu 4.59 crore.

 

While Kerala has 2.29 crore electors, Assam 1.81 crore and Puducherry is just over 8 lakh. Polling will be held through Electronic Voting Machines (EVMS).

 

Ground realities forced six-phase polls: CEC

 

Asked as to why the EC has gone in for a six-phase poll in West Bengal, the CEC said that a decision was taken keeping in view the “ground realities”. The EC had already sent two teams to the State to study the law and order situation.

 

On reports that 100 companies of Central Paramilitary forces have been made available for the conduct of elections, he said that the EC never discloses the forces it has and the government has assured adequate forces for ensuring free and fair polls.

 

A highlight this time is that Overseas Indians could exercise their franchise in person and instructions have been issued to facilitate their voting.

 

There have been elections only to few States since the last Lok Sabha polls including those in Maharashtra, Arunachal Pradesh, Jharkhand and Haryana in 2009 and Bihar in 2010.