Elections 2021: March 16 Highlights
The big news from Bengal on Tuesday included Swapan Dasguptas resignation from Rajya Sabha to contest from the Tarakeshwar constituency on a BJP ticket, and the Election Commissions stern warning to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for trying to belittle the institution with innuendos that it was acting at the behest of one political party.
In Assam, the Congress on Tuesday declared candidates for 21 seats, taking the total number of candidates declared so far by the party to 90. Separately, All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) chief Badruddin Ajmal clarified he was not in the race for the CMs post, and that his party would always stand for the states unity and development.
In Kerala, former Congress leader PC Chacko joined Sharad Pawars NCP on Tuesday, and said he would visit all 14 districts over the next 18 days to campaign for the Left.
Meanwhile, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, 75, has started campaigning in his seat Dharmadam, where the polls slogan is “Surely, it is LDF”. His task has been made easier by the fact that the Congress is yet to find a candidate to oppose him, and BJP’s hasn’t started canvassing.
Thol Thirumavalavan, president of Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) which has allied with the DMK for the Tamil Nadu elections, told The Indian Express in an interview that BJP has no ground in the state they have no stake in the lives of people and talking religion and God alone wont help.
Assembly Elections 2021 Schedule: West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry
The election schedule for four states and one Union Territory has been announced with West Bengal voting in eight phases, Assam in three, and Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Puducherry together on the same day. Voting will be spread over a month between March 27 and April 29, and the results for all five Assemblies will be announced on May 2, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sunil Arora said.
The first phase of polling for 30 seats in West Bengal is scheduled on March 27. The second phase (30 seats) will be held on April 1, the third (31 seats) on April 6, fourth (44 seats) on April 10, fifth (45 seats) on April 17, sixth (43 seats) on April 22, seventh (36 seats) on April 26 and the final phase for remaining seats on April 29.
Voting in Assam will be spread over three phases, on March 27, April 1 and April 6, respectively. Polling in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry will be held in a single phase on April 6.
The four states and the UT of Puducherry are the first set of Assemblies to poll amidst the pandemic after the Bihar elections in October last year.
West Bengal (WB), Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu Election 2021 Live News Updates: With the first phase of Assembly elections commencing in 10 days, campaigning in four states and one Union Territory is heating up. The first phase of polls to West Bengal and Assam …
