MUMBAI, 11 October 2007 — The western Indian state of Gujarat will hold elections in December, in a test for the country’s ruling Congress party, currently facing its worst crisis since coming to power in 2004.
India’s election authorities also announced that voting for a new assembly in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh would be held on Nov. 14 and Dec. 19.
“This is the first direct fight between the Congress and the (opposition Bharatiya Janata Party) BJP since the changes in the country’s political climate, primarily over the nuclear deal,” political analyst Mahesh Rangarajan said.
More than 30 million people will vote for 182 seats in two phases on Dec. 11 and Dec. 16 in Gujarat where Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist BJP has won the last three successive elections.
Five years ago, Modi was accused of turning a blind eye while the state was torn apart by Hindu-Muslim riots in which, human rights groups say, some 2,500 people, mostly Muslims, were killed. The riots in 2002 erupted after a fire broke out on a train carrying Hindu pilgrims, killing 59 people.
Dissidents in BJP have launched a war on Modi.
In the event of a BJP victory under Modi’s leadership, the BJP will press for early parliamentary polls. And if the BJP were to be defeated, the Congress is expected to opt for a snap election nationwide.
In the first phase of the Gujarat elections, 87 constituencies will go to the polls on Dec. 11. Polling for the remaining 95 constituencies would be held on Dec. 16. Vote count for all seats would take place on Dec. 23.
In Himachal Pradesh, the constituencies of Kinnaur, Bharmour and Lahaul Spiti will see polling on Nov. 14.
All three constituencies are reserved for Scheduled Tribe candidates.
The remaining 65 constituencies of the hill state will see balloting on Dec. 19. Counting of votes for all Himachal Pradesh seats will take place on Dec. 28.
