13 days after announcing the dates of voting and results of Himachal Pradesh polls, the Election Commission (EC) will announce the dates for Gujarat assembly elections 2017 at 1 pm today.&nbsp;

The term of the 182-member Gujarat assembly comes to an end on January 23, 2018.&nbsp;

The EC has been under attack from the opposition parties for not announcing the dates for Gujarat Assembly elections along with Himachal Pradesh. Both the states were expected to go to polls at the same time.&nbsp;

Gujarat is the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.&nbsp;

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BJP hs bn arguing for simultaneous polls for Centre n States but the same party doesn&#39;t want that for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Himachal?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Himachal</a> n <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Gujarat?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Gujarat</a>.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BJPDoubleSpeak?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BJPDoubleSpeak</a>
&mdash; Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) <a href="https://twitter.com/ashokgehlot51/status/923046860889079809?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 25, 2017</a></blockquote>
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While declaring the Himachal election dates, the commission, however, &nbsp;announced that the counting of votes in both the states would take place on December 18.

The declaration of dates will immediately bring the model code of conduct into force, preventing BJP from using its status as the incumbent to woo the electorate at the exchequer&#39;s cost.

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EC will be recalled from its extended holiday after Gujarat Govt has announced all concessions and freebies.
&mdash; P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) <a href="https://twitter.com/PChidambaram_IN/status/921194798572175360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 20, 2017</a></blockquote>
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The EC has rejected the accusation. Chief Election Commissioner A K Joti has said that several factors, including weather, flood relief work, and festivities, were considered before taking a call on election dates, adding: &ldquo;While the Gujarat and Himachal polls were announced together in 2012, their schedules were different. The two states had no similarities in geography or weather patterns.&rdquo;

The EC has been under attack from the opposition parties for not announcing the dates for Gujarat Assembly elections along with Himachal Pradesh. Both the states were expected to go to polls at the same time.

13 days after announcing the dates of voting and results of Himachal Pradesh polls, the Election Commission (EC) will announce the dates for Gujarat assembly elections 2017 at 1 pm today. The term of the 182-member Gujarat assembly comes to an end on January 23, 2018. The EC has been under attack from the opposition parties for not announcing the dates for Gujarat Assembly elections along with Himachal Pradesh. Both the states were expected to go to polls at the same time. Gujarat is the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. BJP hs bn arguing for simultaneous polls for Centre n States but the same party doesn't want that for #Himachal n #Gujarat.#BJPDoubleSpeak — Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) October 25, 2017 × While declaring the Himachal election dates, the commission, however, announced that the counting of votes in both the states would take place on December 18. The declaration of dates will immediately bring the model code of conduct into force, preventing BJP from using its status as the incumbent to woo the electorate at the exchequer's cost. EC will be recalled from its extended holiday after Gujarat Govt has announced all concessions and freebies. — P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) October 20, 2017 × The EC has rejected the accusation. Chief Election Commissioner A K Joti has said that several factors, including weather, flood relief work, and festivities, were considered before taking a call on election dates, adding: “While the Gujarat and Himachal polls were announced together in 2012, their schedules were different. The two states had no similarities in geography or weather patterns.”

Gujarat poll dates to be announced today

The Election Commission said today that it will hold the Gujarat assembly elections before the results for the Himachal Pradesh assembly polls were out.

Chief Election Commissioner Achal Kumar Joti told ANI that the poll body would plan the election schedule in Gujarat in such a way that the &quot;the outcome of the result should not affect the voting in Gujarat.&quot;

The chief election commissioner was quoted as saying by a media outlet that elections in Gujarat would likely be called in the next two days since major relief work after the July floods had been completed.

He also told ANI&nbsp;that multiple factors, including the weather, were considered before deciding to hold the elections in Himachal Pradesh earlier than Gujarat.

In an exclusive interview to ANI, Joti said political parties and the state administration in Himachal Pradesh had requested the election commission to organise the polls before mid-November as there was probability of snowfall in three districts of the hill state.

&quot;Another main reason is that Himachal and Gujarat are not adjoining states. If multiple states go for polls, they are adjoining states. The EC has always made sure that the voting pattern of one state does not affect the voting pattern of another state, and that is why the counting period in Himachal Pradesh has been kept on 18th December 2017. We had stated that we would plan the election schedule in Gujarat in such a way that polling in Gujarat is over prior to Himachal Pradesh Assembly election result, so that the outcome of the result should not affect the voting in Gujarat,&quot; the chief election commissioner said.

He also said that it was necessary for the floods-affected state to undergo restoration before elections could be organised in view of the loss of lives and damage to the infrastructure.

The chief election commissioner said that the government staff which would carry out the restoration work was the one who would carry out election-related work. And that once the announcement for the polls was made, the government employees will have to leave the restoration work and perform election-related duties.

&quot;And at a time when restoration work is done, it involves a lot of government force. A total of 26443 employees of the state government will be given election duties. So the staff, which manages the restoration work will only be assigned the election duties as we don&#39;t supply staff,&quot; he said.

In July, parts of Gujarat were ravaged by incessant rains and floods that claimed more than 200 lives.

The poll body had announced the election dates for Himachal Pradesh earlier this month. For Gujarat, it had said that election would be over by December 18.

The Opposition had cried foul, stating that since 1998 elections in the two states had been held simultaneously with the exception of 2002 when the communal riots took place.

Congress leader P Chidambaram had alleged that the dates would be announced once the ruling BJP government in Gujarat had &quot;announced all concessions and freebies&quot;

The senior Congress leader wrote in a Twitter post, that the poll body &quot;has authorised PM to announce date of Gujarat elections at his last rally.&quot;

PM Modi has visited Gujarat thrice in the last one month. He has inaugurated a slew of infrastructure projects&nbsp; -- and a bullet train -- in the course of these visits.

The prime minister inaugurated a number of projects in Bhavnagar and Vadodra&nbsp;yesterday, the highlight being a ferry service from Ghogha in Bhavnagar district to Dahej in Bharuch.

Chief Election Commissioner Achal Kumar Joti said the Gujarat election schedule was being in a manner that the outcome of the result did not affect the voting in Gujarat

The Election Commission said today that it will hold the Gujarat assembly elections before the results for the Himachal Pradesh assembly polls were out. Chief Election Commissioner Achal Kumar Joti told ANI that the poll body would plan the election schedule in Gujarat in such a way that the "the outcome of the result should not affect the voting in Gujarat." The chief election commissioner was quoted as saying by a media outlet that elections in Gujarat would likely be called in the next two days since major relief work after the July floods had been completed. He also told ANI that multiple factors, including the weather, were considered before deciding to hold the elections in Himachal Pradesh earlier than Gujarat. In an exclusive interview to ANI, Joti said political parties and the state administration in Himachal Pradesh had requested the election commission to organise the polls before mid-November as there was probability of snowfall in three districts of the hill state. "Another main reason is that Himachal and Gujarat are not adjoining states. If multiple states go for polls, they are adjoining states. The EC has always made sure that the voting pattern of one state does not affect the voting pattern of another state, and that is why the counting period in Himachal Pradesh has been kept on 18th December 2017. We had stated that we would plan the election schedule in Gujarat in such a way that polling in Gujarat is over prior to Himachal Pradesh Assembly election result, so that the outcome of the result should not affect the voting in Gujarat," the chief election commissioner said. He also said that it was necessary for the floods-affected state to undergo restoration before elections could be organised in view of the loss of lives and damage to the infrastructure. The chief election commissioner said that the government staff which would carry out the restoration work was the one who would carry out election-related work. And that once the announcement for the polls was made, the government employees will have to leave the restoration work and perform election-related duties. "And at a time when restoration work is done, it involves a lot of government force. A total of 26443 employees of the state government will be given election duties. So the staff, which manages the restoration work will only be assigned the election duties as we don't supply staff," he said. In July, parts of Gujarat were ravaged by incessant rains and floods that claimed more than 200 lives. The poll body had announced the election dates for Himachal Pradesh earlier this month. For Gujarat, it had said that election would be over by December 18. The Opposition had cried foul, stating that since 1998 elections in the two states had been held simultaneously with the exception of 2002 when the communal riots took place. Congress leader P Chidambaram had alleged that the dates would be announced once the ruling BJP government in Gujarat had "announced all concessions and freebies" The senior Congress leader wrote in a Twitter post, that the poll body "has authorised PM to announce date of Gujarat elections at his last rally." PM Modi has visited Gujarat thrice in the last one month. He has inaugurated a slew of infrastructure projects -- and a bullet train -- in the course of these visits. The prime minister inaugurated a number of projects in Bhavnagar and Vadodra yesterday, the highlight being a ferry service from Ghogha in Bhavnagar district to Dahej in Bharuch.

Gujarat polls before Himachal results are out: Election Commission

The Congress on Sunday invited Patel quota agitation leader Hardik Patel and Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani to meet party vice-president Rahul Gandhi during his visit to the state on Monday ahead of the assembly polls.

Gandhi will take part in &#39;Navsarjan Gujarat Janadesh&rsquo; rally organised by the party in Gandhinagar where OBC leader Alpesh Thakor will join the Congress.

Congress&#39;s invite to Hardik Patel and Mevani comes a day after its state unit president Bharatsinh Solanki extended open invitation to Patel, Mevani and Thakor to join the party to ensure the ruling BJP&#39;s defeat.

&quot;Rahul Gandhi will be coming to Ahmedabad tomorrow. We have invited Hardik Patel and other leaders of the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti. They had given a memorandum to us and we are positive about their demands,&quot; Solanki said on Sunday.

&quot;Rahul-ji will hold a meeting with them before the rally and discuss all the issues and will invite them to support the Congress,&quot; Solanki said.

&quot;We have separately invited Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani and others after the rally; Rahul-ji will meet them and discuss their issues,&quot; Solanki said.

Thakor, the leader of OBC Ekta Manch, will join the Congress with his associates at the rally, Solanki said.

Gandhi is also likely to meet Chotu Vasava, the leader of Janata Dal (U) in Gujarat, during his one-day visit.

Thakor met Gandhi in Delhi yesterday and later announced that he would soon join the party.

The Congress, which is out of power in Gujarat for 22 years, is wooing leaders such as Hardik Patel, Mevani and Thakor who have significant support base in their respective communities.

The Congress on Sunday invited Patel quota agitation leader Hardik Patel and Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani to meet party vice-president Rahul Gandhi during his visit to the state on Monday ahead of the assembly polls.

The Congress on Sunday invited Patel quota agitation leader Hardik Patel and Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani to meet party vice-president Rahul Gandhi during his visit to the state on Monday ahead of the assembly polls. Gandhi will take part in 'Navsarjan Gujarat Janadesh’ rally organised by the party in Gandhinagar where OBC leader Alpesh Thakor will join the Congress. Congress's invite to Hardik Patel and Mevani comes a day after its state unit president Bharatsinh Solanki extended open invitation to Patel, Mevani and Thakor to join the party to ensure the ruling BJP's defeat. "Rahul Gandhi will be coming to Ahmedabad tomorrow. We have invited Hardik Patel and other leaders of the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti. They had given a memorandum to us and we are positive about their demands," Solanki said on Sunday. "Rahul-ji will hold a meeting with them before the rally and discuss all the issues and will invite them to support the Congress," Solanki said. "We have separately invited Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani and others after the rally; Rahul-ji will meet them and discuss their issues," Solanki said. Thakor, the leader of OBC Ekta Manch, will join the Congress with his associates at the rally, Solanki said. Gandhi is also likely to meet Chotu Vasava, the leader of Janata Dal (U) in Gujarat, during his one-day visit. Thakor met Gandhi in Delhi yesterday and later announced that he would soon join the party. The Congress, which is out of power in Gujarat for 22 years, is wooing leaders such as Hardik Patel, Mevani and Thakor who have significant support base in their respective communities.

OBC leader Alpesh Thakor to join Congress at Rahul Gandhi rally; Hardik Patel invited too

The Samajwadi Party will contest five of the 182 assembly seats in Gujarat and support the Congress in the rest, SP president Akhilesh Yadav said today (October 23).

The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said the party did not want a split in the anti-BJP votes and hence would contest only the seats where it had a strong organisational base. 
 
&quot;In Gujarat, we will be contesting five seats where our organisation is strong. We are not going to weaken the fight there (against the BJP). In the rest of the seats, the party will support Congress,&quot; Akhilesh Yadav told the press. 
 
The Congress and the Samajwadi Party had struck an alliance in Uttar Pradesh for the assembly elections earlier this year. The Congress had contested 105 of the 403 seats while the SP battled it out in 298 seats. 
 
Asked if he would campaign in Gujarat, the SP chief said, &quot;I will campaign where our candidates are in the fray. If any other party approaches me, I can campaign for it.&quot; 
 
Asked about the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to religious places, Akhilesh Yadav downplayed the visits.

&quot;I have also visited all religious places during my school tours. During Diwali, I also prayed with my family,&quot; he said. 
 
About the allegations of Narendra Patel, an activist of Hardik Patel-led Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti, that he was offered Rs 1 crore for joining the BJP, Akhilesh Yadav sarcastically remarked that the BJP was the &quot;most honest&quot; party. &quot;How can it do so?&quot; 
 
He also &quot;advised&quot;&nbsp;media persons not to run the story, &quot;otherwise your channel will be closed&quot;. 
 
On the&nbsp;Taj Mahal controversy, he said it was the identity of the country and the &quot;Prime Minister had himself said in his speech that there was a need to attract tourism in the country&quot;. 
 
&quot;Had our government got NGT (National Green Tribunal) permission, we would have done more beautification work around the Taj,&quot; said Yadav, who was the chief minister of the state between 2012 and 2017. 
 
Asked about the proposed air show on the Agra Expressway tomorrow, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said, &quot;We have got the expressway constructed so that in case of any emergency, planes can land on it. I want to ask the BJP, what is their definition of &#39;rashtrawad&#39; (Nationalism). They say we are not &#39;rashtrawadis&#39; (Nationalists). I want the pictures of the air show to be publicised so that our workers can tell who constructed this (expressway).&quot; 
 
The Election Commission has said that Gujarat will go to polls before December 18.&nbsp;

The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said the party did not want a split in the anti-BJP votes

The Samajwadi Party will contest five of the 182 assembly seats in Gujarat and support the Congress in the rest, SP president Akhilesh Yadav said today (October 23). The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said the party did not want a split in the anti-BJP votes and hence would contest only the seats where it had a strong organisational base. "In Gujarat, we will be contesting five seats where our organisation is strong. We are not going to weaken the fight there (against the BJP). In the rest of the seats, the party will support Congress," Akhilesh Yadav told the press. The Congress and the Samajwadi Party had struck an alliance in Uttar Pradesh for the assembly elections earlier this year. The Congress had contested 105 of the 403 seats while the SP battled it out in 298 seats. Asked if he would campaign in Gujarat, the SP chief said, "I will campaign where our candidates are in the fray. If any other party approaches me, I can campaign for it." Asked about the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to religious places, Akhilesh Yadav downplayed the visits. "I have also visited all religious places during my school tours. During Diwali, I also prayed with my family," he said. About the allegations of Narendra Patel, an activist of Hardik Patel-led Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti, that he was offered Rs 1 crore for joining the BJP, Akhilesh Yadav sarcastically remarked that the BJP was the "most honest" party. "How can it do so?" He also "advised" media persons not to run the story, "otherwise your channel will be closed". On the Taj Mahal controversy, he said it was the identity of the country and the "Prime Minister had himself said in his speech that there was a need to attract tourism in the country". "Had our government got NGT (National Green Tribunal) permission, we would have done more beautification work around the Taj," said Yadav, who was the chief minister of the state between 2012 and 2017. Asked about the proposed air show on the Agra Expressway tomorrow, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said, "We have got the expressway constructed so that in case of any emergency, planes can land on it. I want to ask the BJP, what is their definition of 'rashtrawad' (Nationalism). They say we are not 'rashtrawadis' (Nationalists). I want the pictures of the air show to be publicised so that our workers can tell who constructed this (expressway)." The Election Commission has said that Gujarat will go to polls before December 18.

SP to contest 5 Gujarat seats, support Congress in rest: Akhilesh Yadav

The Election commission today announced the dates for assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh.

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) A K Joti said that there will be a single-phase election in Himachal Pradesh. The state will go to polls on November 9 and the counting will be held on December 18.

&quot;Model code of conduct for Himachal Pradesh assembly election comes into effect from now itself,&quot; the CEC said. &quot;Bulk SMSes &amp; voice messages on phone shall also be in purview of election advertisements,&quot; he added.

We will have VVPATs along with EVMs; height of voting compartments will be increased to 30 inches, CEC Joti said.

&quot;The election is mainly against the BJP and we know their strengths and&nbsp;weaknesses,&quot; Himachal chief minister&nbsp;Virbhadra Singh said.

&quot;They are relying on Modi. We are self-reliant and&nbsp;focused on development,&quot;&nbsp;the chief minister added.

The commission is soon expected to announce the dates for assembly elections in Gujarat. The CEC today said that Gujarat elections will be held before December 18.

Joti had said on Wednesday that voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) system will be used in over 50,000 booths in Gujarat. VVPAT was first used in Goa polls earlier this year.

The tenure of 182-member Gujarat assembly is due to end on January 22, 2018.

The term of the 68-member Himachal Assembly ends on January 7, 2018.&nbsp;

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) A K Joti said that there will be a single-phase election in Himachal Pradesh.

The Election commission today announced the dates for assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh. Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) A K Joti said that there will be a single-phase election in Himachal Pradesh. The state will go to polls on November 9 and the counting will be held on December 18. "Model code of conduct for Himachal Pradesh assembly election comes into effect from now itself," the CEC said. "Bulk SMSes & voice messages on phone shall also be in purview of election advertisements," he added. We will have VVPATs along with EVMs; height of voting compartments will be increased to 30 inches, CEC Joti said. "The election is mainly against the BJP and we know their strengths and weaknesses," Himachal chief minister Virbhadra Singh said. "They are relying on Modi. We are self-reliant and focused on development," the chief minister added. The commission is soon expected to announce the dates for assembly elections in Gujarat. The CEC today said that Gujarat elections will be held before December 18. Joti had said on Wednesday that voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) system will be used in over 50,000 booths in Gujarat. VVPAT was first used in Goa polls earlier this year. The tenure of 182-member Gujarat assembly is due to end on January 22, 2018. The term of the 68-member Himachal Assembly ends on January 7, 2018.

Himachal Pradesh assembly election on November 9, counting on December 18

The Election Commission is all set to announce today the dates for assembly elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh.

The announcement will be made at 4pm, the Press Information Bureau said in a tweet on Thursday.

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Nirvachan Sadan, 4 PM today: Presser by the Election Commission, to announce schedule for Assembly Elections to Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh <a href="https://t.co/rYX4Ic01VX">pic.twitter.com/rYX4Ic01VX</a>
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&nbsp;

The Commission had indicated on Wednesday that Gujarat may go to polls in December as the term of the current legislative assembly is coming to end in the third week of January.

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) A K Joti also said that voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) system will be used in over 50,000 booths in Gujarat. VVPAT was first used in Goa polls earlier this year.

For the first time, the poll panel will also introduce all-women polling stations in Gujarat in all assembly segments.

A team of Election Commission officials headed by the CEC was on a visit of Gujarat to assess the poll preparedness.

Gujarat will have 50,128 polling stations and 28,639 polling locations, Joti said.

He said the total number of voters in Gujarat now stands at 4.33 crore.

The tenure of 182-member Gujarat assembly is due to end on January 22, 2018.

The term of the 68-member Himachal Assembly ends on January 7, 2018.&nbsp;

(With inputs from news agency PTI)

&nbsp;

The Commission had indicated on Wednesday that Gujarat may go to polls in December as the term of the current legislative assembly is coming to end in the third week of January.

The Election Commission is all set to announce today the dates for assembly elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh. The announcement will be made at 4pm, the Press Information Bureau said in a tweet on Thursday. Nirvachan Sadan, 4 PM today: Presser by the Election Commission, to announce schedule for Assembly Elections to Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh pic.twitter.com/rYX4Ic01VX — PIB India (@PIB_India) October 12, 2017 × The Commission had indicated on Wednesday that Gujarat may go to polls in December as the term of the current legislative assembly is coming to end in the third week of January. Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) A K Joti also said that voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) system will be used in over 50,000 booths in Gujarat. VVPAT was first used in Goa polls earlier this year. For the first time, the poll panel will also introduce all-women polling stations in Gujarat in all assembly segments. A team of Election Commission officials headed by the CEC was on a visit of Gujarat to assess the poll preparedness. Gujarat will have 50,128 polling stations and 28,639 polling locations, Joti said. He said the total number of voters in Gujarat now stands at 4.33 crore. The tenure of 182-member Gujarat assembly is due to end on January 22, 2018. The term of the 68-member Himachal Assembly ends on January 7, 2018. (With inputs from news agency PTI)

Dates for Gujarat, Himachal polls to be announced today

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