Election Commission today announced a single phase election in Madhya Pradesh and Mizoram
The Election Commission on Saturday announced dates for elections in five states including Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram. Chhattisgarh, affected by Maoist insurgency, will go to elections in two phases on November 12 and 20. Madhya Pradesh and Mizoram will vote on November 28. Rajasthan and Telangana, where Chief Minister KCR dissolved the assembly to call for early polls, will vote on December 7. Results for the elections in all the five states will be announced on December 11.
The model code of conduct, imposing restrictions for free and fair elections, was enforced as the announcement was made by Election Commissioner OP Rawat.
Here are the HIGHLIGHTS on the story:
Maoists from Maharashtra, Telangana and Odisha have crossed into Chhattisgarh ahead of the first phase of polling on Monday in a bid to disrupt the elections, intelligence sources said today. Voting for the second phase is on November 20.
"The Maoists are choosing soft targets this time to create terror. The security forces are prepared to deal with them," a senior police officer told NDTV.
The Maoists triggered seven explosions today between two villages in Antagarh, 175 km from state capital Raipur, injuring a Border Security Force soldier. In a separate encounter that broke out at Bijapur today, a Maoist was killed and another was arrested.
"The PLGA can launch surprise attacks in 'grey areas', which are less sensitive. Their chief, Hidma, was last known to be active in Sukma," said the police officer who asked not to be named. He said at least 150 heavily-armed Maoists could be active in Sukma and Dantewada. The so-called People's Liberation Guerrilla Army or PLGA is the armed wing of the terrorist group Communist Party of India (Maoist).
The Maoists are known to deploy concealed spikes and other booby traps in the jungles to slow down the advance of security forces and election staff. Several traps laid by them have been uncovered in Bastar.
The use of unmanned drones for the first time in Chhattisgarh ahead of elections has revealed the movement of Maoists in the area. Elections are due in Maoist-hit areas of Chhattisgarh tomorrow and the drones are being used to recce the area before security forces move in to sanitise the area for election officials.
Polling for 18 of Chhattisgarh's 90 seats - all located in Maoist-hit areas, will be held tomorrow. The rest will vote on November 20.
Intelligence reports say Maoists from Maharashtra, Telangana, Odisha and other states on the Maoist corridor are in Chhattisgarh ahead of first phase of elections. For more than a decade, Maoists have put a ban on voting by villagers and implement it by force.
This morning, Maoists triggered seven explosions and took on security forces in Kanker district, 175 km from state capital Raipur in which one of the insurgents died. A securityman was injured.
Photos sent from an unmanned drone show a group of Maoists moving in Kaushalnar -- deep inside the forests of Abujmaad. The area has practically been claimed by Maoists and there is practically no security presence.
Amit Shah Explains Why Congress Not Good For Chhattisgarh
The Raman Singh government in Chhattisgarh has made the state "almost free" of Maoists and developed it as a hub of power and cement production, BJP president Amit Shah said today as he released the party's manifesto for the state where the BJP has been in power for three terms.
He said a party that depends on Maoism as a medium for revolution will not succeed. "Those who think Maoism is revolution, they can never work for Chhattisgarh," Mr Shah said, a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi attacked the opposition and the people who identify with the opposition's ideology as "urban Naxals" who live a lavish life, yet "come here" to mislead the youth of Chhattisgarh.
The people of Chhattisgarh will vote in two phases on November 12 and 20.
Election Commission To Hold Talks With Mizoram Leaders, OfficialsA high-level team of Election Commission or EC officials would be arriving in Mizoram on Friday to hold talks with top government officials and leaders of civil societies over the crisis that has rocked the poll arrangements in the state, official sources said."
In a last attempt to woo voters ahead of the first phase of polling in Chhattisgarh, the ruling BJP will release its "game changer" manifesto on Saturday with special focus on farmers and youth, state Agriculture Minister Brijmohan Agrawal said.
The 'Sanklap Patar' will be released by BJP president Amit Shah, Mr Agrawal, who heads the BJP's manifesto drafting committee, said on Friday.
Saturday is the last day of campaigning for the first phase of polling for 18 assembly seats in Chhattisgarh on Monday.
The second phase, for the remaining 72 constituencies, will be held on November 20. "It will be a game changer. The manifesto will put forth the vision for a new Chhattisgarh, which will be among the most developed states of the country by 2025," Mr Agrawal said.
TDP founder NT Rama Rao's wife has "requested" her husband to take rebirth "to save the self-respect of Telugu people".
In a letter addressed to her husband, Lakshmi Parvathi claimed TDP president and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has given up the very ideology for which the party was formed by joining hands with the Congress and "requested" her husband to "take rebirth" to cleanse the politics and restore the self-respect of the people.
NT Rama Rao, popularly known as NTR, had formed TDP in 1982 with the single purpose of defeating the Congress. Within nine months, he stormed to power ending the virtual monopoly of the Congress in Andhra Pradesh.
Renu Jogi, wife of former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Ajit Jogi, today announced that she will contest the upcoming state assembly election from Kota as a candidate of her husband's party. Renu Jogi is a sitting Member of the Legislative Assembly from the Kota constituency. The Congress party has instead opted to field Vibhor Singh from the seat this time.
Women block Dhola-Tinsukia highway and burn tyres in protest in Tinsukia. All Assam Bengali Youth Students Federation has called a 12-hour shutdown in the district today.
Opposition wants a JPC on Rafale: Rahul Gandhi- One of you had pointed out that Dassault had said that HAL didn't have the land and Anil Ambani was given the contract because he had acquired land.
- It is now revealed that the land was actually bought from the money of the contract that was given by Dassault to Anil Ambani... this is a clear-cut case of getting a kickback. Anil Ambani's account received 284 crores from Dassault
- The Dassault CEO is clearly trying to protect PM Modi. Why has Dassault given money to Anil Ambani in advance to buy the land.
- Now you also see how CBI is being handled to somehow manage a cover-up. It is obvious that there is now enough material to nail the culprits.
- The fact of the matter is Anil Ambani has not bought the land. It is Dassault that has bought the land.
Congress President Rahul Gandhi is holding a press conference on Rafale.
Congress Workers Upset Over Ticket Distribution Vandalise Party Office In ChhattisgarhWith assembly elections in the state inching closer, the political battle has intensified, not only among political rivals but within the parties as well."
On Thursday, Congress party workers created ruckus at the district party office in Bilaspur and protested against an alleged anomaly in ticket distribution for the upcoming assembly polls. In a similar incident, the party office in Raipur was vandalised by aggrieved workers, who vented out their anger against ticket allocation for one seat.
At the Bilaspur party office, Congress workers raised slogans against one of the party candidate who was given a ticket for one of the constituencies of the district. Slogans were also raised against senior party leader and Chhattisgarh Congress in-charge PL Punia.
Some protestors also broke chairs and ransacked the office of the Congress district president, while a large group staged a sit-in outside the district party office.
BJP releases first list of 177 candidates for Madhya Pradesh elections. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan to contest from Budhni.
Sharad Pawar, Chandrababu Naidu and Farooq Abdullah are holding press conference.
The apex body of Bru refugees in Tripura has appealed to political parties in Mizoram to refrain from visiting the relief camps for poll campaigns, ahead of the November 28 elections to the 40-member Assembly.
R Laldawngliana, the vice president of Mizoram Bru Displaced People's Forum (MBDPF), said the community members were not keen on attending public meetings by parties from Mizoram.
"We do not welcome poll canvassing inside the camps. The members here are not looking forward to attending public meetings by the parties, just before the polls," he said.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday took a dig at Congress president Rahul Gandhi over his recent statement about Mr Chouhan's son, claiming that his name had figured in the Panama Papers.
While addressing a public rally in Madhya Pradesh's Jhabua on Monday, Rahul Gandhi had claimed that Kartikey Chouhan was named in Panama papers. However, the very next day, the Congress president clarified that he "got confused" when he leveled allegations against the chief minister's son.
The AAP has thrown a challenge to Haryana's BJP government - it will give Rs. 1 lakh to any minister who reads out the party's 2014 election manifesto in public.
The Aam Aadmi Party seemed to suggest Wednesday that the ministers will be too embarrassed to remind people of the promises made in the BJP manifesto.
"We know they cannot read out their election manifesto in public because they have not fulfilled any promise," AAP's Haryana convener Naveen Jaihind told reporters.
The BJP and the JDU might contest 17 seats each in Bihar in the Lok Sabha elections, with allies the Lok Janshakti Party and the Rashtriya Lok Samta Party fighting on four and two seats respectively, sources said.
They said talks with Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan-led LJP and Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha-led RLSP were still on to seal a seat-sharing arrangement.
Election Dates Announced For Rajasthan, 4 Other States; Results On Dec 11The Election Commission today announced a single phase election in Madhya Pradesh and Mizoram, and a two-phase election in Chhattisgarh -- all of which will be held in November. Rajasthan and Telangana will also have a single phase election on December 7. Counting of votes will be held on December 11 for all states, said Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat."
Chief secretary of Tamil Nadu wrote to Election Commission and said that there is forecast of cyclones, rain and requested commission to not announce the dates yet, says OP Rawat
"By-polls in Karnataka's Shimoga, Bellary and Mandya districts to be held on November 3," says Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat
Telangana rolls to be published on 12 October
Madhya Pradesh and Mizoram to vote on November 28, 2018 in a single phase.
Polling to be held in a single phase in Rajasthan and Telangana on December 7, 2018.
Elections will be held in two phases in ChhattisgarhPhase 1
Notification on October 16th
Last date of nomination October 23
Scrutiny of nominations October 24
Last date of withdrawal - October 26
Poll on November 12
Phase 2
Last date of nomination Novemeber 2
Last date of withdrawal November 5
Poll on November 20
Model of code of conduct will come into effect in all 4 states from today:Election Commission- All these states are going to polls simultaneously
- It is incumbent on the commission to hold the election as soon as possible but not later than six months
- For all poll going states, publication finally took place for three states and Rajasthan needed a day's extension
- Commission has started setting up voter assistant booths
- Mock polls will be conducted in every polling station before the start of polls
- Model code of conduct applies with immediate effect for all states going to polls, including Telangana, where there is a caretaker government.
- Chattisgarh assembly term expiring on Jan 5, 2019
- Madhya Pradesh assembly term expiring on Jan 7, 2019
- Rajasthan assembly tenure is coming to an end on Jan 20, 2019
- Mizoram assembly term coming to an end on December 15, 2018
Chief Election Commissoner OP Rawat begins press conference with an apology for delaying the press conference to 3 pm. "This was necessitated as one state has to publish voters list by 8. Then we found it will take more time. Also, High Court ordered that final rolls to be shown to court then only rolls can be published," Mr Rawat said.
Election Commission Addresses Press Conference In Delhi
Election Commission to announce dates in poll-bound states shortly.
Announcement of election dates for assembly elections in Telangana is unlikely, sources tell NDTV
(File image)
PM Modi will address a gathering in Ajmer in Rajasthan on Saturday, marking the conclusion of Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje's statewide yatra.
PM Modi's rally will be held at the Kayad Vishram Sthali on the outskirts of Ajmer where party leaders claimed nearly 3 lakh people would come.
"This will be a historic rally of the prime minister, which will see participation by a large number of people," Onkar Singh Lakhawat, the chairman of Rajasthan Heritage Preservation and Promotion Authority, said.
The Modi rally marks the completion of Raje's Rajasthan Gaurav Yatra, which she had begun from Rajsamand's Charbhujanath temple.
Randeep Surjewala questioned the sudden change in time on announcement of poll dates. The Congress leader tweeted that the election commission was forced to change the time to 3 pm due to PM Modi's rally in Rajasthan's Ajmer.
In Chhattisgarh, the main contest will be held between the BJP and Congress. The BJP won 49 seats in the 2013 assembly elections. The Congress won 39 seats in the 90-member assembly.
The Model Code of Conduct will be into force as soon as the announcement is made by Election Commissioner OP Rawat during a press conference this afternoon.
Sources in the election body said that the entire election exercise will be completed by the first week of December. While polls in Chhattisgarh are likely to be held in two phases, elections in the other states might see polling in one phase, they said.
OP Rawat held a meeting with chief electoral officers of five pollbound states in Delhi on Friday
The election commission will announce the dates at 3 pm.
All major parties have already started making aggressive pitches ahead of the state elections.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a rally in Rajasthan's Ajmer today, while BJP chief Amit Shah and Congress president Rahul Gandhi will head to Madhya Pradesh, where they are expected to address a rally. The BJP has been in power since 2013.
The Election Commission will today announce the dates of the assembly elections in four states - in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram.