New Delhi: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced the schedule for assembly elections in four states and one Union Territory, setting the stage for a major electoral exercise across the country.
Voting will take place between April 9 and April 29, while counting of votes for all states will be held on May 4.
According to the schedule, polling in Assam, Kerala, and Puducherry will be conducted in a single phase on April 9. Tamil Nadu will vote on April 23 in one phase. Meanwhile, elections in West Bengal will be held in two phases on April 23 and April 29.
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said at a press briefing in New Delhi that around 17.4 crore voters are expected to participate in the elections, covering nearly 824 assembly seats across the five regions.
Among the states going to the polls, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance currently governs Assam and Puducherry. Trinamool Congress is in power in West Bengal, the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left alliance governs Kerala, while the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam–Indian National Congress alliance leads the government in Tamil Nadu.
The terms of the assemblies in these states and the Union Territory are scheduled to end between May and June. West Bengal’s assembly term ends on May 7, followed by Tamil Nadu on May 10, Assam on May 20, Kerala on May 23, and Puducherry on June 15.
With the announcement of the poll schedule, the Model Code of Conduct has come into immediate effect in all five poll-bound regions.
