Single Phase Polls In Himachal On Nov 12: ECI

The Assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh will take place in a single phase on November 12. The counting of votes will be held on December 8, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced on Friday.

New Delhi | Updated: 14 October, 2022 3:33 pm IST
Chief election commissioner Rajiv Kumar (file photo)

The Assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh will take place in a single phase on November 12. The counting of votes will be held on December 8, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced on Friday.

The notification for the elections will be issued on October 17, it said.

On the all important Gujarat elections, EC says, “We will announce it when time comes.”

In the 68-member Himachal Pradesh legislative Assembly, 48 seats can be contested by general candidates, while 17 constituencies will be kept reserved for members of Scheduled Castes (SC) and three seats for Scheduled Tribes (ST).

More than 55.7 lakh voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections. Out of this number, 43,173 youngsters will be voting for the first time.

Addressing media persons, chief election commissioner Rajiv Kumar said that the poll panel has held a detailed meeting with central law enforcement agencies for smooth conduct of the elections slated to take place later this year.

He informed that the commission will pay special focus to attract more young voters, transgender persons, and women, especially in urban areas.

As part of its efforts to raise voter turnout, the commission has asked the chief electoral officer (CEO) of the two states to identify the polling booth in each constituency that recorded the lowest voting percentage.

Giving details about its initiatives to make the election inclusive, Kumar said that all polling booths will mandatorily have ramps for persons with disabilities.

“There are 82 lakhs PWD (person with disabilities) voters marked in our list,” the top election officer said.

Meanwhile, addressing the issue of fake news, the EC said, “On the issue of fake news, social media will be thoroughly monitored. We will not hesitate to take criminal action if Indian Penal Codes are violated.”

(This is a developing story)

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