No Gujarat poll dates yet, Oppn questions EC amid speculation | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
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No Gujarat poll dates yet, Oppn questions EC amid speculation

By, Ahmedabad
Oct 15, 2022 01:14 AM IST

The Congress alleged that the Gujarat dates were not announced so as to give the BJP an opportunity to announce pre-election “sops” to people of the state

Opposition parties on Friday questioned the rationale behind the Election Commission not announcing elections in Gujarat along with Himachal Pradesh, alleging that it was done to help the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announce more pre-election sops.

Chief election commissioner Rajiv Kumar said no rules were violated in not announcing poll dates for Gujarat along with Himachal. (PTI)
Chief election commissioner Rajiv Kumar said no rules were violated in not announcing poll dates for Gujarat along with Himachal. (PTI)

In 2017, the Election Commission delinked the announcement of election dates for Himachal and Gujarat, saying it does not want a “long period” under the model code of conduct in Gujarat. Single-phase Himachal elections were announced on October 12 and two-phase elections -- December 9 and December 14 -- for Gujarat were announced on October 25, 2017. Votes in the two states were counted on December 18.

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Chief election commissioner Rajiv Kumar said no rules were violated in not announcing poll dates for Gujarat along with Himachal.

“There is a gap of 40 days between the end of the assemblies of the two states (Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat). According to the rules, it should be at least 30 days so that one result doesn’t impact the other,” Kumar said at the media briefing to announce the elections for Himachal. The term of the Gujarat assembly ends on February 18 and that of the Himachal assembly on January 8. The BJP is in power in both the states.

Elections in Himachal Pradesh will take place on November 12 and counting of votes will happen on December 8, most likely with Gujarat. Giving reasons for announcing dates separately, Kumar said, “There are a number of factors, like weather. We want to hold the Himachal elections before the onset of snow.”

The Congress alleged that the Gujarat dates were not announced so as to give the BJP an opportunity to announce pre-election “sops” to people of the state. Congress communications incharge Jairam Ramesh alleged the dates for the Gujarat polls were not announced so that Prime Minister Narendra Modi gets more time to make “mega promises and inaugurations”.

Manish Doshi, Gujarat Congress spokesperson, said, “The ECI has announced the date for counting of votes for Himachal and Gujarat which is on December 8. From today, election code of conduct is in place in Himachal Pradesh but in Gujarat there is no such code because the election dates are not announced. This is done so that the BJP can get enough time to announce pre-elections sops for the people,” he said.

“Traditionally elections are declared together for states where the polls are scheduled a few days apart. However, it seems that opportunity is being given to the ruling party of BJP to get time for pre-poll announcements and project declarations in Gujarat as the party is losing ground with the growing popularity of the Aam Aadmi Party here. People of Gujarat will surely vote for change and the December 8 results will show this,” said Punit Juneja, spokesperson for AAP Gujarat.

Criticism of the EC was not restricted to Gujarat-based parties. Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) social media convener and chairman of Telangana State Renewable Energy Development Corporation Y Satish Reddy asked whether the commission was independent.

“Election Commission tells Gujarat and Himachal polls are separated as gap between them is just 40 days. But the gap was 60 days in the case of Goa & UP, yet they were clubbed,” he tweeted, while posting copy of a press statement by ECI dated January 8, 2022 about assembly elections in Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttarkhand and Uttar Pradesh.

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