Polls in 5 Indian states to be held in November: Election body

NEW DELHI

Legislative assembly elections in five Indian states will be held next month, election authorities announced on Monday.

Addressing a news conference, Rajiv Kumar, head of the country’s Election Commission, announced the polling schedule for five states – Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Rajasthan, and Telangana.

Providing details, the commission said that the polling will be held in the northeastern state of Mizoram and 20 constituencies of Chhattisgarh on Nov. 7.

Polling in the Madhya Pradesh state will take place on Nov. 17 along with 70 assembly constituencies of Chhattisgarh.

The states of Rajasthan and Telangana will go to polls on Nov. 23 and 30, respectively.

Counting for all states will take place on Dec. 3.

In the five states, Kumar said there are 679 assembly constituencies, which is around “one-sixth of the total” legislative assembly constituencies in the country, and 161 million eligible voters, including 6 million first-time voters.

These polls hold a unique significance as they serve as the final assembly elections before the grand stage of the general elections in 2024, the chief election commissioner said.

• Indian elections