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| Counting for Assembly polls in 3 states tmrw |
| Press Trust of India / New Delhi Oct 21, 2009, 11:18 IST |
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The ten-day long suspense over the government formation in Maharashtra, Arunachal Pradesh and Haryana will finally come to an end as the counting of votes for the Assembly elections in the three states will be taken up tomorrow.
Considered the first crucial test of popularity for major political parties after the Lok Sabha polls, the elections in the three states were held on October 13.
The counting would start at 0800 hours in various centres under the strict vigil of the officials of the Election Commission, which has made elaborate arrangements to ensure that the exercise is carried out smoothly.
In a communication to Chief Electoral Officers of the three states, the EC has directed them to ensure that the result of round-wise counting of votes are immediately displayed prominently on the block board inside the counting centre and announced through public address system.
The next round of counting should be taken up only after display of results of previous round, the EC directive said.
Stakes are high in Maharashtra, where there are several chief ministerial aspirants. Rivals Shiv Sena and its offshoot MNS, are fighting for the same political space and the ruling Congress-NCP combine is aiming a hat-trick. There are also 1,820 independents, mostly party rebels, in the fray.
Amravati constituency in Maharashtra has become the cynosure of all eyes as President Pratibha Patil's son Rajendra (Raosaheb Shekhawat) of Congress is pitted against party rebel Sunil Deshmukh.
The Congress has been ruling the state for the last ten years in alliance with the NCP.
Exit polls by two television channels have projected the ruling Congress-NCP alliance coming back to power in Maharashtra, even as one of them predicted victory for Congress in Haryana polls.
In Haryana, Congress is seeking a second term in office on the plank of development. The opposition in the state is a house divided, with BJP snapping tie up with Om Prakash Chautala's INLD and BSP coming out of an alliance with Haryana Janhit Congress.
Congress appears to be on a strong wicket in Arunachal Pradesh, too, where Chief Minister Khandu Dorjee is among three party candidates elected unopposed.
The over a month-long canvassing saw top leaders of Congress, BJP and other key players of regional parties hitting the campaign trail. The electioneering was occasionally marked by personal attacks.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh undertook whirlwind tours of the three states, where the party is making earnest efforts to retain power.
Senior BJP leaders L K Advani, Rajnath Singh, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley and M Venkaiah Naidu were the opposition stalwarts who campaigned vigorously.
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