Assembly polls in four states with Lok Sabha elections but not in J&K: Election Commission
New Delhi: The assembly polls in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal, Odisha and Sikkim will be held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections but not in Jammu and Kashmir due to security reasons, Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora said Sunday.
Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal and Sikkim will go to the polls for all seats in their respectively assemblies as well as the Lok Sabha in the first phase on April 11.
Parliamentary and assembly polls will be held in Odisha across the first four phases on April 11, April 18, April 23 and April 29, respectively.
The Jammu and Kashmir assembly was dissolved in November last year, months after the Mehbooba Mufti-headed government in the state fell following the BJP withdrawing support to it in June.
Arora said the Election Commission decided to announce the schedule for only Lok Sabha polls in the state and not for the assembly elections due to inputs it had received from authorities regarding constraint of availability of central forces for enforcing security in the wake of recent violence.
Even the parliamentary election for the Anantnag Lok Sabha seat in the state is going to be held in three phases, he said, underscoring the security challenge in the region.
National Conference leader and former state chief minister Omar Abdullah slammed withholding of assembly elections and criticised the Modi government.
"First time since 1996 Assembly elections in J&K are not being held on time. Remember this the next time you are praising PM Modi for his strong leadership," he tweeted.
"In light of the failure to conduct assembly elections on time in J&K I'm retweeting my tweets from a few days ago. PM Modi has surrendered to Pakistan, to the militants & to the hurriyat. Well done Modi Sahib. 56 inch chest failed. #slowclap, Abdullah wrote on Twitter.
The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said it was for the first time since 1996 that assembly elections in the state were not being held on time.
Omar said in 2014, J-K had Lok Sabha elections on time and assembly elections on the schedule even after the most devastating floods, but delaying them now "shows how badly the BJP & earlier the BJP-PDP mishandled J&K .
"What happened to (Union Home Minister) @rajnathsingh's assurance to Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha as well as to the all party meeting recently in Delhi that all forces would be made available for simultaneous polls? he asked in another tweet.
Omar said he never thought Modi would be willing to confess his failure on a global stage by not conducting the assembly polls on time in J-K.
J&K Pradesh Congress Committee president G A Mir said the tall claims of the Union Government with regards to the situation in Jammu and Kashmir stand exposed as the Centre has itself certified that situation is out of control and not conducive for holding simultaneous polls.
Mir said it was the golden chance for the Centre to hold assembly election in order to give an elected government to the people as all the political parties were of the opinion that simultaneously elections should be held in the state.
But, the Centre has once again failed to hold assembly elections citing the reason as volatile situation which is indicative of utter failure of the Centre to respect the urges and aspirations of the people, he said.
Senior CPI(M) leader and former MLA, M Y Tarigami said the Election Commission decision has disappointed the people of the state in general.
This was done despite that almost all the political parties had urged upon the Election Commission to hold both the elections simultaneously. Not holding assembly polls will send wrong signals to people within and outside the state, he said.
He said the Chief Election Commissioner during his presser in New Delhi repeatedly quoted recent incidents of violence in Kashmir as the reason for not holding assembly polls.
If that is true, then how could the Lok Sabha polls be held? Even the J-K Governor recently said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi complimented him for successful conduct of the civic elections in Jammu and Kashmir. When these polls could be held, what is the logic for deferring assembly polls? Tarigami questioned.
The CPI(M) leader said J-K is without an elected government for the past nine months and in the absence of an elected government, uncertainty in the state is deepening day-by-day and dissatisfaction among a large section of people is increasing.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
BJP eyes gains in polls to five assemblies; West Bengal main challenge
New Delhi (PTI): Stakes are high for the BJP in the upcoming polls to five assemblies, with West Bengal being the major test case for the saffron party.
In the 2021 West Bengal assembly polls, the BJP emerged as the main opposition with its tally surging to 77 seats in the 294-member assembly from three in 2016.
With a recalibrated poll strategy, the BJP is confident of unseating the TMC from power this time by cashing in on the anti-incumbency sentiments against the Mamata Banerjee government. The party is also hoping to gain public sentiment by raising the issue of corruption and infiltration in the state.
The TMC has been in power in West Bengal for 15 years.
However, the biggest challenge for the BJP is the absence of a local charismatic leader in West Bengal. While the saffron party is banking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership to win the battle there, Banerjee continues to be a formidable face in the state.
In Assam, the BJP-led NDA is confident of scoring a hat-trick under the leadership of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, banking on its governance record and organisational strength.
But its march to victory may not be a cakewalk, with the Congress-led opposition making efforts to cash in on anti-incumbency and local grievances against the ruling dispensation.
The BJP-led NDA may also face resistance from sections of minority voters, particularly Bengali-speaking Muslims, amid criticism from the opposition over the government's eviction drives and rhetoric around illegal immigration.
Issues such as long-pending demands of six communities for Scheduled Tribe status could also figure in the electoral discourse.
The BJP has been on the rise in Assam since the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and came to power in the state for the first time in 2016 by winning 60 seats in the 126-member assembly. It improved its tally to 64 in the 2021 assembly elections.
Its allies AGP, UPPL and BPF have nine, seven, and three MLAs in the outgoing assembly.
In the opposition camp, the Congress has 26 MLAs, AIUDF has 15 members, and CPI(M) has one MLA. There is an Independent legislator as well.
In the south, the BJP has been making renewed efforts to expand its toehold in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, banking on its performance in past elections. But its success depends on its allies.
The BJP, which could not win any seat in the last assembly polls in Kerala, is hoping to gain some ground this time, riding on its success in the recent civic body polls, even as the Congress-led UDF and CPI(M)-led LDF are the prime contenders in the state.
Assembly elections in Assam, Kerala and Puducherry will be held on a single day on April 9, in Tamil Nadu on April 23, and in two phases in West Bengal on April 23 and 29, while votes will be counted for all polls on May 4, the Election Commission announced on Sunday.
