An Indian woman has her finger inked by an elections worker (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Punjab and Manipur will be held between 4 February and 8 March, Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi announced on Wednesday.
The results from all five states will be known on 11 March, Zaidi told a press conference here.
While polling in Goa and Punjab will take place on 4 February, Uttarakhand will vote on 15 February and Manipur in two phases on 4 and 8 March.
Uttar Pradesh, the country's most populous state, will go to the polls in seven phases: 11, 15, 19, 23 and 27 February and 4 and 8 March
This will be the single biggest electoral exercise since the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and will involve a total of 690 constituencies, 403 of them in Uttar Pradesh alone.
Goa has 40 seats, Punjab 117, Manipur 60 and Uttarakhand has 70 seats.
"We are committed to conduct the elections in a free and fair manner," Zaidi said. The Election Commission would also check the "misuse of black money and liquor".
The main players in the five states include the Bharatiya Janata Party, Congress, Aam Aadmi Party, Shiromani Akali Dal, Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and Manipur People's Party.
An Appeal...
Dear Reader,
As you are no doubt aware, Swarajya is a media product that is directly dependent on support from its readers in the form of subscriptions. We do not have the muscle and backing of a large media conglomerate nor are we playing for the large advertisement sweep-stake.
Our business model is you and your subscription. And in challenging times like these, we need your support now more than ever.
We deliver over 10 - 15 high quality articles with expert insights and views. From 7AM in the morning to 10PM late night we operate to ensure you, the reader, get to see what is just right.
Becoming a Patron or a subscriber for as little as Rs 1200/year is the best way you can support our efforts.