Election Commission may announce schedule for Gujarat Assembly polls at 1 pm

The Election Commission is likely to announce the schedule for Gujarat Assembly elections at 1 pm.

With the announcement, the model code of conduct will come into force from today. This comes within a week of the poll panel declaring the poll schedule for Himachal Pradesh on October 12.

While Himachal Pradesh goes to polls in a single phase on November 9, elections in Gujarat may be held in two phases, starting from the first week of December.

The counting for Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections will be held on December 18. The counting for Gujarat Assembly elections may also be held along with those of Himachal Pradesh.

HERE ARE THE LIVE UPDATES:

• The announcement comes within a fortnight of declaring the poll schedule for Himachal Pradesh.

• Election Commission to make announcement shortly.

ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS 2012

In 2012, the Assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh were held in one phase on November 4. The elections in Gujarat were held in two phases, on December 13 and December 17. The results for both the states were announced on December 20.

In 2012, the Election Commission had announced the poll schedule for both Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat on the same date. The then chief election commissioner VS Sampath had announced the poll schedules for both the states on October 3, 2012.

The Opposition leaders have raised objections over Chief Election Commissioner AK Joti delinking the poll schedule of Gujarat with Himachal Pradesh this year.

Though Himachal and Gujarat went to the polls almost together in 2012, the results of the two states were different. In Gujarat, the BJP retained power, having won for the fifth consecutive term since 1995.

The BJP government led by the then chief minister Narendra Modi romped home comfortably, having won 116 out of the 182 seats in Gujarat. Under Modi, it was BJP's third straight win for the third consecutive term - in 2002, 2007 and 2012.

The total voters' turn out in Gujarat both phases was 71.32 per cent. It was the highest turn out since 1980.

For the first time in 15 years, Gujarat would be facing Assembly elections without Modi at the helm. It will be a crucial litmus test for the BJP in the western state, considered to be the Hindutva laboratory of BJP's parent organisation RSS.

While the Congress won Himachal Pradesh while BJP was victorious in Gujarat in 2012, an India Today-Axis My India opinion poll said BJP is likely to win both the states this year.

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