Chief Election Commissioner Says No Chance Of Simultaneous Elections

Putting all speculation to rest, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) O P Rawat yesterday (23 August) ruled out conducting elections to the Lok Sabha and state Vidhan Sabhas simultaneously, reports PTI. He added that a legal framework would be required in order to conduct simultaneous polls.

The states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, and Odisha are due for polls at the same time as the General Elections while Madhya Pradesh, Rajashtan, Mizoram and Chhattisgarh are set to vote at the end of the current year. Speculation was rife that elections to the latter four would be deferred and held concurrently next summer while elections to Maharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand that vote next winter could be advanced.

Armed with merely 400 staffers, the Election Commission of India (ECI) begins preparatory works for elections to the Lok Sabha 14 months ahead of the scheduled time frame. Addressing members of the press in Aurangabad, Maharashtra, he added that during elections the ECI employs 1.1 crore people on election duty.