"Finally": Congress' Dig At Poll Panel Over Gujarat Election Dates

The Congress on Thursday said the Election Commission must give an explanation to the people of the country as to why it announced the polls to Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat assemblies on separate dates even though the votes for both would be counted on the same day.

Congress' Gujarat in-charge Raghu Sharma alleged that the BJP got time to hold several rallies on official expense and misused public resources to the hilt in Gujarat.

Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters here, he said, "Want to thank Election Commission for announcing Gujarat polls finally despite BJP-led government's pressure." "The Election Commission should give an explanation as a constitutional body that while counting of votes for elections in both states will be on the same day, why elections were announced on different dates," Sharma said.

He also attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Morbi bridge collapse, saying when the tragedy happened the Congress had cancelled all political programmes but the PM "went ahead with official programmes".

Mr Sharma said the Congress was working very hard in Gujarat and the results to the polls in the state will be "surprising".

He also alleged the Aam Aadmi Party and the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen were the "B-team of the BJP" and were only there to cut votes.

Mr Sharma asserted that the fight in Gujarat will be between the BJP and the Congress.

Gujarat will go to polls in two phases on December 1 and 5 with the counting of votes on December 8 along with that of Himachal Pradesh, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar announced on Thursday.

While elections to Gujarat Assembly were announced Thursday, the Himachal Pradesh polls were announced on October 14. Of the total 182 assembly seats in Gujarat, voting for 89 seats will be held on December 1 and the balance 93 seats on December 5.