Election dates for five states including Rajasthan and MP to be announced today

NEW DELHI: The Central Election Commission will announce the poll schedule for assembly elections in the five states today. The election dates for Mizoram, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Telangana are likely to be announced at noon.

The dates and the phase of the elections will be known in the press meet convened at 12 noon. The terms of the assembles of these five states will be completed in December 2023 and January 2024.

This assembly election is very crucial for the ruling BJP, Congress and various regional political parties. Congress is presently in power in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. The BJP directly rules Madhya Pradesh. The Bharat Rashtra Samithi headed by KCR is in Telangana. The Mizo National Front is ruling Mizoram.

The Congress is preparing the final candidate list in Chhattisgarh. The central election committee meeting will be held in Delhi on October 13 for this. The final candidate list will be prepared in the meeting. Once the candidate list is finalized, it is aimed to announce it immediately and start the election campaign. A screening committee meeting was held for the selection of candidates. The shortlist evaluation will take place in the central election committee meeting.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi started campaigning aiming continuous rule. The Congress is highlighting announcements like caste census and 10 lakh houses for the poor. Reports said the elections will be held in the state between the second week of November and the first week of December. The term of the present Chhattisgarh Assembly is up to January 3.

Party leader Randeep Singh Surjewala hinted that former chief minister and senior leader Kamal Nath will be the chief ministerial candidate in Madhya Pradesh. Surjewala also said that the Congress will highlight Kamal Nath as the chief ministerial candidate. Surjewala replied to the question on who would be the chief ministerial candidate of the Congress in Madhya Pradesh. Surjewala added that the chairman of the Congress Pradesh Committee will naturally become the chief ministerial candidate.

He said the next central election committee meet of the Congress will take a final decision on the candidates. No final agreement was reached in this regard in the last election committee meeting. Kamal Nath added that the people of Madhya Pradesh want change.