5 States, 690 Seats: All You Need to Know About Elections 2017
Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa will go to polls from February on.
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- Seven-phase polling in Uttar Pradesh to be held from 11 February to 8 March
- Two-phase polling in Manipur on 4 and 8 March
- Single-phase polling in Goa and Punjab on 4 February
- Single-phase polling in Uttarakhand on 15 February
- Results for all five states to be announced on 11 March
5 States, 690 Seats
Uttar Pradesh: Scramble for 403 Seats
Uttar Pradesh polls will be held in seven phases starting on 11 February. Here are the details of the election schedule:
Riot-Hit Western UP to Vote First
Western UP, which includes the riot-hit constituencies of Muzaffarnagar and Shamli, will go to polls in the first phase of elections. Previously, constituencies in the eastern part of the state used to go to polls in the first phase.
The last time western UP voted first was during the 2014 General Elections. The BJP had then swept the Lok Sabha elections in the state, winning 71 out of 80 seats.
Take a look at the numbers from the 2012 Assembly elections:
Punjab: 117 Seats at Stake
Polls in Punjab will be held in a single phase on 4 February. Here are the details of the election schedule:
Campaigning in Punjab Sans the Religion Card
After the announcement of the election schedule, incumbent Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal appealed to political parties to conduct elections in a peaceful and fair manner.
The polls in Punjab are one to look out for given the Supreme Court’s recent ruling that votes cannot be sought on the basis of religion, caste or creed.
Weeks before the ruling, various political parties in Punjab were attempting to woo voters by promising Sikhs free pilgrimages and vowing to punish those responsible for desecrating the Guru Granth Sahib, among other pre-poll vows. The election strategy from here on, will have to be different.
Take a look at the numbers from the 2012 Assembly elections:
Manipur: 60 Seats up for Grabs
Manipur will vote in two phases on 4 and 8 March. Here are the details of the election schedule:
Polls in the Time of ‘Economic Blockade’
While the Election Commission was preparing to announce the poll dates, the Ministry of Home Affairs made desperate attempts to postpone polls in trouble-torn Manipur.
The 2017 assembly polls in Manipur are bound to be affected by the continuing economic blockade and the resultant violence.
The Congress party in Manipur has regained lost ground against the BJP, that was fast gaining popularity until the outbreak.
On Monday, Irom Sharmila, Manipur’s ‘Iron Lady’ formally announced that she would contest in the polls.
Take a look at the numbers from the 2012 Assembly elections:
Goa: Contest for 40 Seats
The polls in Goa are scheduled for 4 February. Here are the details of the election schedule:
New Players on the Field
Political equations in Goa witnessed several twists in 2016 with friends turning foes overnight over petty issues.
The year 2016 saw the emergence of an unexpected political force, Goa Suraksha Manch (GSM), which is all set to take the saffron party head on. The Aam Aadmi Party will also be making its debut in the state this time around.
Defence Minister and former Goa Chief Minister, Manohar Parrikar earned praise at home for the army’s surgical strike but was criticised for his weekend trips to Goa at a time when the border witnessed unrest.
Take a look at the numbers from the 2012 Assembly elections:
Uttarakhand: 70 Seats at Stake
The polls for Uttarakhand have been scheduled for 15 February. Here are the details of the election schedule:
Polls After Floor Tests and Rebellions
The year 2016 saw the worst political crisis in Uttarakhand, marked by a major revolt against Chief Minister Harish Rawat by his own party MLAs, resulting in nearly two months of President’s rule.
There are reports that the Congress is roping in poll strategist Prashant Kishor to keep the BJP at bay. The BJP, which has ruled in the state for only two years since its inception in 2000, is currently running without any chief ministerial candidate.
Uttarakhand has always decided its electoral fate with a thin margin, leaving the situation precarious till the end. Whether this year will be any different remains to be seen.
Take a look at the numbers from the 2012 Assembly elections:
AAP Objects to Simultaneous Polls
Minutes after the assembly election poll dates were announced, the Aam Aadmi Party objected to simultaneous elections in all five states.
Speaking to The Quint, AAP's Ashutosh said:
In response, the Chief of Election Commission, Nasim Zaidi said that “all stakeholders were consulted before the schedule was finalised”.
Vidhan Sabha Expiry Dates
- Uttar Pradesh - 27 May
- Goa - 18 March
- Manipur - 18 March
- Punjab - 18 March
- Uttarakhand - 26 March
Details of Assembly Elections 2017
A total of 690 legislative assemblies will go to polls, of which 133 seats are reserved for Scheduled Castes and 23 for Scheduled Tribes. An estimated 160 million people are expected to cast their votes in these assembly elections.
The Commission said that 1,85,000 voting booths are being set up and that voter assistance booths would be set up outside every polling station.
There will be separate polling stations for women to prevent their votes from being influenced.
For the first time, the Commission has also announced electronic transmission of votes from the polling booths to the main centre.
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