Earlier in the day, it was reported that the much-awaited Gujarat assembly election dates will be announced today. As per the latest updates, a few minutes back the Chief Election Commissioner AK Jyoti in a press conference announced that the polls will be held in 2 phases in Gujarat, on 9 and 14 Dec and the counting will be done on 18 Dec.
Jyoti in the conference announced that the model code of conduct comes into effect from today itself and directed that all the political parties, candidates and their agents adhere to it. Phase 1 will cover 89 constituencies, while phase 2 will see 93 constituencies go to polls. The last date for filing nominations in the first phase is 21 November.
For the first phase, the nominations can be withdrawn until 24 Nov and 30 Nov in the second phase.
The tenure of the 182-member Gujarat House ends in January 2018.
During the press conference, the Chief Commissioner informed that VVPATs will be used in the elections and added that the EC will make sure that the required number of VVPATs (and EVMs if needed) is available in the state for the polls. “We have good experience in deployment of VVPATs in polling stations,” he said.
He further added that there will be 102 all-women polling stations in the state and a total of 50,128 polling booths will be set up for the elections and differently-abled voters will be given special preference at the polls. He also said that CCTV cameras will be set up in sensitive areas along the border.
He also informed that a public grievance redressal system has also been set up, that will allow the public to give suggestions express their concerns regarding the polls. The common public platform will also allow the citizens to upload pictures and videos. Voters helpline will also be made available. Elaborate security arrangements will be in place — CRPF will be available to help local police,” Jyoti added.
The EC also announced Rs 28 lakh as the ceiling expenditure limit for the candidates and said that they will have to open a separate account and use that for elections. He further added that the several agencies, including police and excise department, will be monitoring the election expenditure by candidates.
The EC Commissioner also asked the government officials to discharge their duties in a fair manner. He also said that online application named Suvidha will be available for rallies and control rooms and monitoring center will be active 24×7.