5 States Assembly Election Dates Announced

The Election Commission of India has announced the dates for the Assembly elections in five states – Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur today (24-12-11).

Announcing the schedule for the elections, Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi said that Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) would be used in all polling booths, adding that photo identity cards for would be mandatory for all the voters. Uttar Pradesh will go for a seven-phase election, while the other states will have one phase each. The elections in Uttar Pradesh will be held on February 4, 8, 11, 15, 19, 23 and 28 while the polling will be done in Punjab and Uttarakhand on January 30. Meanwhile, Manipur will be the first to vote on January 28 whereas the elections in Goa will be held on March 3. The counting in all the states will be done on March 4.