16.10.17

Himachal Elections on Nov 9


The assembly polls in Himachal Pradesh will be held in a single phase on November 9 and the results will be declared on December 18, the Election Commission has announced.. EC, however, withheld the announcement of poll dates for Gujarat, even as the term of state assembly ends on January 22. CEC AK Joti said Gujarat polls would be held before December 18 so that Himachal results do not impact the polling outcome in Gujarat. The date of elections in Gujarat will be declared later, he said.

Joti said in a letter to EC from the Gujarat chief secretary, the state government had sought additional time as flood relief and rehabilitation was yet to be completed.

After Goa, Himachal will be the second state where VVPATs will be used across all 68 assembly seats. EC has decided to verify votes through paper trail in one booth of each constituency. The booths would be chosen randomly and this would serve as a pilot for future polls, Joti said. EC has also decided to set up a monitoring committee to check `paid news'. Bulk SMSes and WhatsApp messages would also be considered under the purview of election-related advertising, Joti added.

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