HP polls Nov 12, Result: 8; no dates for Guj polls

TIL Desk/National/New Delhi/ The Election Commission has announced the schedule for the assembly polls for Himachal Pradesh. Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar announces the following:

Himachal Pradesh polls: Will be held in 1 phase. Date: November 12, Result: December 8. No Gujarat election dates have been announced.

The Commission did not announce the elections for the Gujarat assembly, the term of which ends on February 18, 2023. Over 55 lakh voters are eligible to exercise their franchise for 68 assembly seats in Himachal Pradesh, Kumar said.

The CEC said the Commission was following past precedence in keeping the announcing in abeyance the schedule for Gujarat assembly. There are 1.86 lakh first-time voters, 1.22 lakh aged 80-plus and 1,184 voters who are above 100 years of age.

Himachal Pradesh has a 68-member assembly and the BJP had won a clear majority by winning 44 seats in the 2017 elections. The Congress managed to win 21 seats, Independents bagged two seats and the CPI(M) emerged victorious on one seat. In percentage terms, the BJP won 48.79 per cent of the total valid votes, followed by the Congress (41.68 per cent) and Independents (6.34 per cent).