Polling schedule for NE states announced by EC

The Election Commission announced the dates for Assembly polls to be held in Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya. While polls will be held in Tripura on February 18, Nagaland and Meghalaya will go to polls on February 27, announced Chief Election Commissioner A K Joti on Thursday. Counting of votes for all three states will be done on March 3.

The polls are seen to be crucial for the BJP which is pushing hard to bring the entire Northeast into its fold. The party is especially keen to dislodge the Manik Sarkar-led CPM government in Tripura and the Mukul Sangma-led Congress government in Meghalaya.

Currently, of the eight northeast states, BJP has five states under its belt. It has its own government in Assam and Manipur, while in Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim, it is in coalition with regional parties.

The EC has also announced the Model Code of Conduct with immediate effect. Joti also said that electronic voting machines and VVPATs (voter verifiable paper audit trail) will be used to enhance the credibility of the electoral process.