This is the third time since 1998 that the announcement of Gujarat Assembly elections has been de-linked from that of Himachal Pradesh.
The voting for Assembly elections in Gujarat will be held in two phases on December 1 and December 5 while the counting of votes will be taken up on December 8, along with Himachal Pradesh, the Election Commission announced on Thursday.
The term of the 182-member state Assembly ends on February 18, 2023. With the announcement of the polling schedule, the Model Code of Conduct has come into effect in the state with immediate effect.
Check full schedule for Gujarat Assembly Elections 2022 here:
Date of issue of notification - November 5 (Phase I) and November 10 (Phase II)
Nomination Scrutiny - November 15 (Phase I) and November 18 (Phase II)
Nomination Withdrawal - Novemeber 17 (Phase I) and November 21 (Phase II)
Voting - December 1 (Phase I), December 5 (Phase II)
Counting - December 8
Last month, on October 14, the EC had announced elections to the Himachal Pradesh Assembly, which will take place on November 12 in a single-phase followed by counting of votes on December 8.
Citing the convention followed in 2017, the poll panel had not announced the Gujarat election schedule when it came out with Himachal Pradesh poll dates This is the third time since 1998 that the announcement of Gujarat Assembly elections has been de-linked from that of Himachal Pradesh.
In 2017, the polls in the two states were announced on different dates but the counting took place together on December 18. Floods in Gujarat had led the EC to hold polls in the state after the Himachal Pradesh poll schedule was announced.
Gujarat has a 182 member assembly and the BJP had pulled off its sixth consecutive victory winning 99 seats in the last polls, while the Congress put up a spirited fight by bagging 77 seats. In percentage terms, the BJP had polled 49.05 per cent of the valid votes, while Congress had polled 42.97 per cent.
The Congress witnessed a series of defections after the assembly elections and the BJP increased its tally in the House to 111. The Congress numbers were reduced to 62.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has trained its sights on Gujarat and has already entered the election mode. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has made several trips to Gujarat in his bid to make inroads for the AAP in the state after a successful foray in Punjab.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also been visiting Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh frequently to inaugurate and launch several projects.
Also, these elections along with a few more in other states in 2023 are being seen as crucial in the run up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections when Modi and BJP will bid for their third consecutive government at the Centre.
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 "Election Commission announces schedule for Gujarat Assembly Elections 2022")
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