While assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh are in the final stages, the dates for the Gujarat assembly elections can be announced next week. Against this backdrop, it is being speculated that the elections for the Municipal Corporation Delhi (MCD) can be announced this week.
The State Election Commission has completed the preparations for the civic polls. The MCD elections can be held along with the Gujarat assembly elections.
In Gujarat, assembly elections for 182 seats can be conducted in two phases. In such a situation, it is believed that the dates for the assembly elections can be kept in the middle of the first fortnight. It can be recalled here that in 2017 also Gujarat assembly elections were held in two phases on 9 and 14 December and the results for the elections were declared on 18 December.
In 2017, the BJP was reelected in Gujarat by winning 99 seats in the 182-member assembly whereas only 92 seats are needed for a majority. The Congress and its allies had then won just 80 seats in the state elections. Of these, 77 seats came in the account of the Congress.
In the 2012 assembly elections in the state, the BJP had won 115 seats and Congress 61 seats.
On the other hand, in the election results of all 68 assembly seats in Himachal Pradesh in 2017, the BJP won a clear majority by winning 44 seats whereas the Congress had to be content with 21 seats. One seat and two independent candidates also won in the account of CPM.
In the state, the state unit president of BJP and chief ministerial candidate Prem Kumar Dhumal also had to face defeat. This time around, the BJP did not give ticket to Dhumal.