All Parties Want UP Elections On Time; ECI Likely To Announce Dates Next Week

Lucknow: All political parties want assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh to be held in February-March, 2022.

Representatives of political parties met Election Commission of India (ECI) officials and urged them to go ahead with the polls on time, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sushil Chandra said on Thursday.

There was speculation that elections in the country’s most populous state could be postponed after Allahabad High Court urged PM Narendra Modi and ECI to consider it amid rising Omicron cases.

An ECI delegation is undertaking a three-day visit to Uttar Pradesh to review preparations.

“Representatives of all political parties met us and told us that elections should be conducted on time following all COVID-19 protocols,” CEC Chandra said at a press conference.

The final list of voters will be released on January 5, he informed.

A decision on whether it will be a single-day or multiple-phase polling has not yet been taken. However, Chandra said polling hours will be from 8 am to 6 pm.

The schedule for elections — which are also due in states like Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa – is expected to be announced in the first week of January.

Election Commission will reach the doorsteps of those who are unable to visit the polling booths to cast their votes – people above 80, people with disabilities and those down with COVID.