Crucial election cycle in 5 states to start on March 27

Results on May 2; eight phases in Bengal, three in Assam, one each in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry

NEW DELHI: Around 187 million people across five states in southern and eastern India will vote in 824 assembly seats for a month starting March 27, the election commission announced on Friday, kicking off the most crucial poll season since the general elections two years ago.

Votes in Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry will be counted on May 2, said chief election commissioner Sunil Arora. All Covid-19 election guidelines, including limiting the number of electors, regulating physical campaigning and road shows and sanitising booths and personnel, will be in place, he added.

The commission has set up 270,000 polling stations for what will be the largest electoral exercise in the country since the coronavirus pandemic struck early last year.

West Bengal, where a surging Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is looking to unseat the ruling Trinamool Congress, will vote in the highest number of phases: eight. The 294 assembly seats in the eastern state will go to the polls between March 27 and April 29.

Polling for 234 seats in Tamil Nadu, 140 seats in Kerala and 30 seats in Puducherry will take place on April 6. Assam, with 126 assembly seats, will vote in three phases: March 27, April 1 and 6. Bypolls to Kanyakumari and Malappuram Lok Sabha seats will be also conducted on April 6.

Tamil Nadu will witness traditional rivals Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and All India

Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) square off in the first state election without political stalwarts M Karunanidhi and J Jayalalithaa. Kerala will see the Left parties fight a Congress-led alliance to hold on to their last bastion and Puducherry will head to the polls under President’s Rule after its government fell four days ago. Assam will see a three-cornered fight between BJP, Congress and regional parties.

“Last year, the entire world, when confronted with Covid-19, was figuring out how to balance the rights of citizens while protecting the health and safety of citizens,” said Arora, who demits office on April 13. “The commission used the Rajya Sabha elections and Bihar elections last year as a litmus to see how to conduct large-scale polls.”

Arora said the nationwide vaccination drive made the situation more conducive to conduct elections. He said door-to-door campaigning will be restricted to five persons, including the candidate, while road shows will be allowed with a maximum of five vehicles. The number of electors per booth will also be limited to 1,000.

The announcement of the