Election Commission may announce Gujarat Poll dates today
New Delhi : As the political parties are setting themselves ready for the Gujarat Elections, the Election Commission is likely to announce the dates for polls on Wednesday. The announcement is likely to be done in noon via press conference.
The five-year term for Gujarat Assembly will end on January 23, 2018. The election commission had to face a lot of criticism recently when they announced a schedule for Himachal Pradesh Assembly election and reserved announcement for Gujarat Assembly Polls.
The opposition had alleged that the delay in the announcement of dates is a deliberate attempt to allow Bharatiya Janata Party fetch enough time to prepare for the polls.
Chief Election Commissioner Achal Kumar Joti defended their decision by saying that a lot of factors were responsible for early announcement of Himachal Pradesh Assembly Election dates.
"When we went to Himachal Pradesh, the state election commission, political parties and the administration told us that three districts – Kinnaur, Lahaul Spiti and Chamba – are likely to experience snowfall. Therefore, a request was made to conduct the elections earlier so that voters can cast their ballots," ANI quoted Joti.
The political parties have already started campaigning in the state and post announcement of the dates, a little change in the strategies may come into play.