Five states to vote between February 4 and March 8

Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Punjab and Manipur will be held between February 4 and March 8, Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi announced on Wednesday.

The results from all five states will be known on March 11, Zaidi told a press conference here.

While polling in Goa and Punjab will take place on February 4, Uttarakhand will vote on February 15 and Manipur in two phases on March 4 and 8.

Uttar Pradesh, the country's most populous state, will go to the polls in seven phases: February 11, 15, 19, 23 and 27 and March 4 and 8.

This will be the single biggest electoral exercise since the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and will involve a total of 690 constituencies, 403 of them in Uttar Pradesh alone.

Goa has 40 seats, Punjab 117, Manipur 60 and Uttarakhand has 70 seats.

"We are committed to conduct the elections in a free and fair manner," Zaidi said. The Election Commission would also check the "misuse of black money and liquor".

The main players in the five states include the Bharatiya Janata Party, Congress, Aam Aadmi Party, Shiromani Akali Dal, Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and Manipur People's Party.

--IANS

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