New Delhi: Ahead of the assembly election results for the states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa, and Manipur today, political parties are sending out feelers for possible post-poll tie-ups.
The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India said Wednesday that the counting of votes in respect of general elections to the legislative assemblies of Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh in 690 assembly constituencies and by-election to 99-Majuli (ST) legislative assembly constituency of Assam will take place tomorrow, news agency ANI reported. The CEC said that 671 counting observers, 130 police observers, and 10 special observers will be on ground.
Ahead of the counting of votes in five states today, here are 10 points you should know.
1. The Election Commission, on the eve of the counting of votes, announced the removal of three officials, including the nodal officer for electronic voting machines (EVMs) in Varanasi, the Press Trust of India (PTI) reported. This happened after a massive controversy erupted over the Samajwadi Party's (SP) allegation that EVMs were being shifted in an unauthorised manner.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday alleged that EVMs were being stolen in a truck in Varanasi but the Election Commission said the machines were for training officials on counting duty.
2. Delhi’s Chief Electoral Officer has been deputed by the poll panel as a special officer in Meerut. Bihar’s Chief Electoral Officer has been deputed as a special officer in Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s parliamentary seat. Both the officers have been deputed to supervise the counting of votes.
3. Uttar Pradesh sends 80 MPs to the Lok Sabha, the highest for any state. Therefore, it is a high-stakes election in Uttar Pradesh for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Modi government. Also, the party’s performance is expected to have a bearing on the next general election slated for 2024.
4. A clear majority for the BJP in Uttar Pradesh and for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab has been forecast by several exit polls. Also, these exit polls predict a hung assembly in Goa and a tight race between the BJP and the Congress in Uttarakhand. Several exit polls showed all states except Punjab to be under the BJP.
5. The parties have dispatched senior leaders to the states because the post-poll scenario could throw up surprises due to multi-cornered contests. Also, the parties were wooing other parties to ensure that they get the better of their rival claimant in case outside support is needed to form a government.
Karnataka Congress chief D K Sivakumar has been sent by the Congress as a special observer to Goa. The Congress has sent party general secretary Mukul Wasnik and Chhattisgarh Health Minister T S Singh Deo besides Vincent Pala to Manipur.
In 2017, the Congress had lost the race for government formation in Goa and Manipur, despite emerging as the single largest party.
6. AAP leaders were already in talks with Congress leaders, Goa Congress chief Girish Chodankar told reporters. He also claimed that the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) too will support his party.
Ahead of the counting of votes, the Congress has shifted all the candidates in Goa to a luxury resort in Bambolim village near Panaji.
On Tuesday, Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant was in the national capital to discuss the evolving situation in his state with BJP leadership.
7. In order to count the votes, more than 50,000 officials have been deployed at nearly 1,200 halls in the five states. Also, Covid-19 guidelines will be followed during the exercise that will begin at 8 am amid tight security, according to officials.
There will be more than 750 counting halls in Uttar Pradesh, which has a maximum of 403 assembly constituencies. In the five states, more than 650 counting observers have been deployed to monitor the process.
An official in Lucknow said that video and static cameras have been installed at all the counting centres in Uttar Pradesh, PTI reported.
The police said that a total of 250 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) have been provided to all the districts and commissionerates of Uttar Pradesh on March 10. A CAPF company usually has around 70-80 personnel, according to officials.
8. The BJP would become the first party to get a consecutive second term in over three decades, if it gets a majority in the 403-member Assembly.
UP BJP spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi told the PTI that at the UP BJP office, there are no special preparations, but there is enthusiasm among the party workers.
Kailash Vijayvargiya, National General Secretary of the BJP, held meetings in Uttarakhand with former CM Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and other leaders.
Earlier, Vijayvargiya had been active in state politics at the time of the rebellion by Congress MLAs against the then chief minister Harish Rawat. This had led to the imposition of President's rule in the state.
The Congress camp is closely observing the situation. Central party observer Dipendra Hooda, party in-charge for Uttarakhand Devendra Yadav, poll campaign head Harish Rawat and Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Ganesh Godiya are holding meetings.
Several exit polls have given either the BJP or Congress a a majority in the 70-member Assembly. However, several of them have predicted a close fight between the two major players or a hung assembly. These exit polls have predicted a scenario in which the role of independents and regional outfits like the AAP, SP, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD) will become significant in government formation.
While the BJP and the Congress are locked in straight contests on 40 to 45 seats, the regional outfits make the fight triangular on 25-30 seats.
Major parties are keeping a close watch on rebels who entered the fray as independents against their official nominees.
This time, thirteen rebels from the BJP and six from the Congress contested.
9. In Punjab, Congress is betting on Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi to retain power after the rebellion by veteran leader Amarinder Singh. Congress general secretary Ajay Maken and spokesperson Pawan Khera have been sent to the state.
On Wednesday, Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu said that the first meeting of the Congress legislative party will be held on Thursday itself after the results of the Punjab Assembly polls are declared.
Congress is in power on its own in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh and is part of the ruling coalition in Maharashtra and Jharkhand.
The Aam Aadmi Party is hoping to script history by coming to power in Punjab also after ruling in Delhi for seven years.
In the 117 seats, a total of 1,304 candidates, including 93 women and two transgenders, are in the fray.
Punjab Congress leaders have insisted that their party would secure victory, despite various exit polls predicting that the Congress would not be able to form the government for the second time in a row.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) fought the elections in alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party. SAD chief Sukhbir Badal had claimed that his party would win over 80 seats.
The BJP has claimed that it will make impressive gains. Former chief minister Amarinder Singh has said that this party, the Punjab Lok Congress, and the BJP have done well in the elections.
10. Several exit polls have predicted a BJP win in Manipur. Hence, the mood is upbeat in the party's state office in the heart of Imphal. Workers are busy cleaning premises and erecting fresh party flags on the boundary wall. The BJP has contested in all 60 seats.
Okram Ibobi Singh, former chief minister of Manipur and a Congress leader, has asserted confidently that the Congress would come back to power.
Singh said that in order to prevent a repeat of 2017, when the Congress was the single-largest party with 28 seats but could not form the government, the party MLAs would this time take "precautionary measures like staying together at a place", PTI reported.
The Congress has already announced a pre-poll alliance with the Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India (Marxist), Forward Bloc, Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) and Janata Dal (Secular).
(With PTI Inputs)