The stage is set and the battle lines have been drawn for the mega election season set to unfold this year. Five states, including three from the Hindi heartland, are scheduled to go to polls this year, just months ahead of the biggest political showdown that will go down in mid-2024. Assembly elections are due to be held this year in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram.
While there has been no official announcement about the election dates for these five states, they are likely to be held in the November-December period as in 2018. News reports indicate that preparations are underway on war footing and it is speculated that elections in five states could be held in November-December.
Constitutional obligations necessitate the formation of new governments in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh before January 6 and January 3, respectively. Similarly, in Rajasthan, the new government must be formed before January 14. These deadlines suggest that the Election Commission could announce the election dates for the five states in the first or second week of October.
The term of the Legislative Assembly of Madhya Pradesh concludes on January 6, 2024, Chhattisgarh on January 3, 2024, Telangana on January 16, 2024, Rajasthan on January 14, 2024, and Mizoram on December 17, 2023.
If we look back at the previous election, the Election Commission had announced the dates for the assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, and Mizoram on October 6, 2018. The elections were conducted in two phases in Chhattisgarh, while polls in Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Rajasthan, and Telangana were held in a single phase. The first phase of polling in Chhattisgarh took place on November 12 for 18 assembly seats, while voting in the second phase for 72 assembly seats was held on November 20.
Similarly, Madhya Pradesh and Mizoram polled on November 28 in a single phase, while votes were cast in Rajasthan and Telangana on December 7. The counting for all five states took place together on December 11, 2018, with the results being announced the same day.
As per reports, the Election Commission of India has initiated the re-verification of voter lists as part of its election preparations. Additionally, the list of officials directly involved in the election process is also being compiled. Special abbreviated re-verification work on the voter list has commenced in Madhya Pradesh, along with the task of adding new names to the voter list, and removing the names of duplicate and deceased voters.
Officials have been provided with a deadline for these tasks which has been set for August 31. The draft voter list has been published at all polling centers. This allows citizens and voters to check the draft list at their respective centers, and file requests for any modifications or claims in the voter list.