The Gujarat meeting election 2022 dates will probably be introduced later, the EC stated
New Delhi:
The Election Fee at the moment skipped Gujarat because it introduced ballot dates for Himachal Pradesh, although the schedule for the 2 states is historically revealed on the similar time.
That the Gujarat election dates, extensively anticipated, weren’t introduced was stunning as a result of the phrases of each the assemblies finish throughout the vary of six months. In such circumstances, state election dates are introduced collectively, and the outcomes are declared on the identical day.
Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, fielding questions, stated no guidelines had been violated.
“There’s a hole of 40 days between the tip of the assemblies of the 2 states. In response to the foundations, it ought to be at the least 30 days in order that one end result does not affect the opposite,” Mr Kumar advised reporters.
The time period of the Gujarat meeting ends on February 18 and that of Himachal Pradesh, on January 8. The BJP is in energy in each states.
“There are a selection of things, like climate. We wish to maintain the Himachal elections earlier than the onset of snow,” he defined, including that the Fee had held consultations with “varied stakeholders”.
The Mannequin Code of Conduct will apply to Himachal Pradesh for a fewer variety of days — 57 days as an alternative of 70 — the election chief stated, persevering with his clarification.
Many questioned this defence, given the unusually lengthy hole between voting and ends in Himachal Pradesh. The state votes on November 12 and the outcomes will probably be declared nearly a month later, on December 8.
The extended interval fueled hypothesis that the Election Fee was conserving a window to declare elections in Gujarat quickly and had solely deferred the announcement – for causes unknown – and that the votes may nonetheless be counted on the identical day.
The Chief Election Commissioner, requested about the opportunity of votes being counted in Gujarat too on December 8, stated: “After we come for Gujarat, we are going to let you know this.”
The one different time when the election announcement within the two states was delinked was in 2017. Himachal Pradesh voted on November 9 and Gujarat voted in two phases, on December 9 and 14. However each outcomes have been declared on December 18. The opposition Congress had accused the BJP of attempting to purchase extra time to roll out schemes and initiatives earlier than the code of conduct kicked in.
In Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s house state, the ruling celebration has been challenged this time by Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Celebration (AAP), which is campaigning aggressively to develop its nationwide presence after its mega victory in Punjab earlier this 12 months.
Arvind Kejriwal claims that his celebration is the primary rival to the BJP, as an alternative of a vastly weakened Congress. PM Modi, Union Residence Minister Amit Shah and BJP chief JP Nadda have all visited Gujarat this month to amp up the celebration’s reelection marketing campaign.
“Clearly, this has been performed to present extra time to the PM to make some mega guarantees and perform extra inaugurations. In no way stunning,” stated Congress chief Jairam Ramesh.
