AMN / WEB DESK
The Single-Phase polling for Assembly Elections in Goa and Uttarakhand will be conducted simultaneously on Monday. In Uttar Pradesh too all the necessary preparations have been made for the Second phase of Seven-Phase polling of Assembly Elections tomorrow. The polling will be conducted from 7.00 A.M. to 6.00 P.M. in Uttar Pradesh and Goa while polling time in Uttarakhand will be from 8.00 A.M. to 6.00 P.M.
During the Second Phase of polls in Uttar Pradesh, 586 candidates including 69 women are in fray for 55 Assembly seats going to polls. The total number of eligible electors for this phase is 2.02 crore including 1.08 crore male, 94 lakh female and 1,269 third gender voters. In all, 23,404 Polling Stations have been set up in the concerned constituencies for their convenience.
The Second Phase of polling in Uttar Pradesh will be conducted in 55 Assembly Constituencies from nine districts including nine Assembly constituencies reserved for the Scheduled Castes. These districts include Saharanpur, Bijnor, Amroha (J.P. Nagar), Moradabad, Bareilly, Rampur, Sambhal (Bhim Nagar), Badaun and Shahjahanpur district.
During the 2017 polls, BJP bagged 38 out of the 55 seats which are going for polls in this phase while Samajwadi Party won 15 and Congress got remaining two seats.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has formed an alliance with Anupriya Patel’s Apna Dal (Sonelal) and NISHAD Party-led by Sanjay Nishad. The Samajwadi Party has entered into an alliance with the Rashtriya Lok Dal, Shivpal Yadav’s Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia), Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party-led by Om Prakash Rajbhar, Janvadi Party (Socialist) and Apna Dal (Kamerawadi) led by Krishna Patel and Mahan Dal. All India Trinamool Congress has announced support to the SP, but decided not to field its candidates in the polls.
Meanwhile, the Congress and Bahujan Samaj Party have announced to go in for the upcoming polls without any alliance. Asaduddin Owaisi’s All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen has formed an alliance with Babu Singh Kushwaha’s Jan Adhikar Party and Bharat Mukti Morcha. Bhim Army Chief Chandrashekhar Azad’s Azad Samaj Party has also floated an alliance with over 30 regional parties. The alliance is named Samajik Parivartan Morcha. The Janta Dal (United) is contesting the polls independently in the state.
The prominent BJP candidates participating in this phase include Ministers Suresh Kumar Khanna, Baldev Singh Aulakh, Chhatrapal Singh Gangwaar and Gulab Devi, former Minister Dharampal Singh along with Rajesh Singhal, Brijesh, Naresh Saini, Raja Bhartendra Singh and Yashwant Singh while the partner Apna Dal (S) has fielded the only Muslim candidate of alliance Haider Ali khan. Samajwadi Party has fielded former Ministers Dr. Dharam Singh Saini, Kartikeya Rana, Swami Omvesh, Iqbal Mahmood, Mahboob Ali, Mohammad Azam Khan and his son Abdullah Azam while the BSP has fielded Manish and Sarvesh Chandra Dhandhu during this phase. Vivek Kant, Munshiram and Neeraj Choudhary are among candidates from Rashtriya Lok Dal while Sanjay Kapoor, Omveer Yadav, Kazim Ali Khan, Saleem Khan and Poonam from Congress are also in the fray.
In Goa, 301 candidates including 26 women are contesting for 40 seats out of which one seat is reserved for the Scheduled Castes.
Goa has total 11,64,224 electors including 5,66,241 male, 5,97,974 female and nine third gender voters. In all, 1,722 Polling Stations have been set up across the state for their convenience.
In the two-phase elections held in 2017, Indian National Congress emerged as a single largest party capturing 17 seats while Bharatiya Janata Party could manage to get 13 seats. Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party and Goa Forward Party bagged three seats each while Nationalist Congress party got one and remaining three seats were won by the independent candidates.
While the BJP is contesting in Goa on its own strength,
Nationalist Congress Party has formed alliance with Shivsena. Indian National Congress is in alliance with Goa Forward Party. All India Trinamool Congress and Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) have also come together to fight these elections.
Apart from Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant and Deputy Chief Ministers Manohar Ajgaonkar and Chandrakant Kavlekar, other prominent candidates from BJP include former Chief Minister Ravi Naik, Ministers Vishwajeet Rane, Govind Gaude along with former Minister Atanasio Monserrate and Dayanand Sopte. Former Chief Minister Digambar Kamat and Dharam Sanglani are among prominent faces from Congress while MGP President Pandurang Dhavlikar, former Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sardesai from GFP and Chief Minister’s face from Aam Aadmi Party Amit Palekar are in fray. Former Deputy Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar and son of former Chief Minister Utpal Parrikar are also trying their luck as independent candidates.
In Uttarakhand, total 632 candidates including 63 women are vying for 70 seats out of which 13 seats are reserved for the Scheduled Castes and two seats reserved for the Scheduled Tribes.
Uttarakhand has total 81,72,173 electors including 42,38,890 male and 39,32,995 female along with 288 third gender voters. In all, 11,647 Polling Stations have been set up across the state for their convenience.
While the major parties including BJP and Congress are contesting in Uttarakhand on own strength, Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist ) have come together to form the Left Front to fight the election.
Apart from Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and State Unit Chief Madan Kaushik and Minister Satpal Maharaj are among prominent candidates from BJP while former Chief Minister Harish Rawat, State Unit Chief Ganesh Godiyal and Leader of Opposition Pritam Singh are the main candidates from Congress. Aam Aadmi Party’s Chief Ministerial face Colonel Ajay Kothiyal and Uttarakhand Kranti Dal President Divakar Bhatt are also among other prominent candidates during the elections.
In the single-phase elections held in 2017, Bharatiya Janata Party secured a thumping majority capturing 56 seats while Indian National Congress could manage to get 11 seats. Two independent candidates were also elected.
The Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) is being used along with Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) at every Polling Station, with a view to enhance the transparency and credibility of the election process, as VVPAT allows the voter to verify his or her vote. The arrangements have already been made to ensure availability of adequate number of EVMs and VVPATs for the smooth conduct of elections.
In view of the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic and rising cases of Omicron variant across the country, Election Commission has laid focus on COVID-safe elections with maximum participation. It is going to ensure the safety of vote and voters as both are equally and critically important in the democracy.
The Election Commission has decided to allow maximum 1,250 electors in a Polling Station instead of earlier stipulation of 1,500 electors. Accordingly, there is a major change in the number of Polling Stations in the poll-bound states of Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.
Option of Postal Ballot facility has been extended to the electors who are COVID-19 positive or suspect as certified by competent authority and are in home or institutional quarantine along with those marked as Persons with Disabilities (PwD) and above the age of 80 years.
As per the Election Commission instructions, the concerned Chief Electoral Officers are ensuring that every Polling Station is equipped with Assured Minimum Facilities (AMF) like drinking water, waiting shed, toilet with water facility, adequate arrangements for lighting, ramp of appropriate gradient for the Persons with Disabilities. The special facilities include mandatory sanitization of Polling Station, thermal checking of voters at entry point either by polling staff or paramedical staff or an Asha worker. At the last hour of poll, such electors will be facilitated for voting, strictly following COVID-19 related preventive measures.
In view of the pandemic, the Commission has decided to extend the poll timing by one hour in all Assembly Constituencies. The COVID-19 patients, who are quarantined, will be allowed to cast their vote at the last hour of the poll day at their respective Polling Stations, under the supervision of health authorities, strictly following COVID-19 related preventive measures. Proper mechanism of collection and disposal of waste or used gloves will be put in place at each Polling Station.