Election schedule for five states announced

Elections to assemblies will be held in Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry in April-May, it was announced yesterday, in the biggest popularity test for political parties since the 2014 Lok Sabha battle.Nearly 170mn people will be eligible to vote in the staggered exercise that will see a two-phase polling in Assam, a six-phase balloting in West Bengal spread over seven days, and a day’s battle each in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.Assam (126 seats) will vote on April 4 and 11, and West Bengal (294 seats) on April 4-11, 17, 21, 25 and 30 and May 5, chief election commissioner Nasim Zaidi told the media.Kerala (140 seats), Tamil Nadu (234 seats) and Puducherry (30 seats) will go to the polls on May 16. Counting of votes in all five states will take place on May 19.Within hours of the announcement, West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress announced its candidates for all the 294 assembly seats.The key players in the five-state electoral battle include the Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Left, Trinamool, AIADMK (All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam), DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam), Asom Gana Parishad, the AIUDF (All India United Democratic Front) as well as the NR Congress that rules Puducherry.Although the BJP is a contender for power only in Assam, the outcome in all five states is important to it because of the two major defeats it has suffered in Delhi in February 2015 and in Bihar later in November.While the Congress is in power in Assam and Kerala, it faces a stiff challenge in both states.A resurgent BJP has tied up with regional groups to dislodge the Congress in Assam. The Left is confident of returning to power in Kerala, where the BJP is determined to open its account in the state assembly.The Trinamool stranglehold has forced the Congress and the Left in the state - for decades bitter enemies -- to try to close ranks. The BJP is a minor player in the state.Ranged against the ruling AIADMK in Tamil Nadu is the Congress-DMK alliance. The BJP is also trying to team up with the DMDK (Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam) while several other regional parties may float a Third Front in the state.The Congress is the main opposition in Puducherry.For the first time in elections in India, the NOTA (none of the above) category would be represented by a “symbol” - like party symbols - and photographs of all candidates would figure on the electronic voting machines (EVMs) with their symbols, Chief Election Commissioner Syed Nasim Ahmad Zaidi said.He said the model code of conduct would come into effect immediately in all five states.