NEW DELHI: The Election Commission of India has announced the schedule for Assembly polls for Kerala, Assam, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. As per the announcement, the assembly elections will commence from April 9. Polling in Assam, Kerala and Puducherry will be held on April 9 in a single phase.
While in West Bengal, the first phase of voting is scheduled for April 23, followed by the second phase on April 29.
Tamil Nadu will hold its elections on April 23 in a single phase.
Counting of votes for all five states and UTs is scheduled for May 4. Addressing a press conferences in the national capital on Sunday, the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar termed the assembly polls a “festival of pride” and urged first-time voters to participate enthusiastically.
The CEC made a special appeal to young and first-time voters, saying, “My dear friends, you are about to step into one of the most important responsibilities of your life, exercising your democratic right, the right to vote. I urge you to participate enthusiastically in this great democratic exercise and cast your vote with pride, responsibility and confidence. Your vote is your choice in shaping the future of your state and the nation.”
The total number of seats in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly is 294, with the main contest between the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). TMC, led by Mamata Banerjee, has been in power in the state since 2011. Assam will witness a fight between the incumbent BJP-led NDA government and Congress for 126 state assembly seats.
In Kerala, the main fight is between the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the United Democratic Front (UDF) for 140 seats of the Legislative Assembly. Meanwhile, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is also in the fray to compete against both alliances. For the 234 seats in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, political parties are ramping up their campaign activities and finalizing seat-sharing arrangements within their respective alliances.
Puducherry will hold elections for all 30 constituencies of the 16th Puducherry Legislative Assembly. While the Congress is fighting the polls in an alliance with DMK and CPI, the opposition consisted of All India NR Congress, BJP and AIADMK. (ANI)
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