Five-State Assembly Election 2022: The 2017 Story

The dates for the next Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Punjab, and Manipur were declared Saturday by the Election Commission. In the aftermath of the unabated spike in COVID cases across the country, some political parties have announced the postponement of political gatherings and are focusing more on virtual rallies.

Here's a look at the states which are going for polls: 

Goa (Pramod Sawant, BJP)
The Goa Legislative Assembly's term will expire on March 15, 2022. In February 2017, the Bharatiya Janata Party established the state government, with Manohar Parrikar becoming Chief Minister. However, CM Parrikar died in March 2019 from pancreatic cancer. Pramod Sawant is the BJP's current chief minister.

Manipur (N.Biren Singh, BJP)
The Manipur Legislative Assembly's term will expire on March 19 this year. The ruling BJP-led NDA will be seeking to replicate its success, while the opposition Congress will be hoping for a different outcome.  The Manipur Assembly has 60 seats, with 31 constituting a majority. The valley region has 40 constituencies, whereas the hill region has 20. N Biren Singh was sworn in as chief minister of Manipur in 2017 after the BJP formed the state government. After winning 21 seats, the party formed a coalition with the National People's Party (NPP), the Naga People's Front (NPF), and the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP).

Also Read | New COVID protocols to virtual campaigning: Here are 5 key announcements made by EC

Uttar Pradesh (Yogi Adityanath, BJP)
The Uttar Pradesh Assembly Election is one of the most anticipated political confrontations of 2022. The outcomes in UP have a significant influence on the Lok Sabha elections, making this contest even more intense. In 2017, Uttar Pradesh conducted seven stages of elections between February and March. Despite not presenting a chief ministerial candidate before the election, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won by an overwhelming three-quarters majority of 325 seats. Yogi Adityanath was chosen as the state's chief minister.

Punjab (Charanjit Singh Channi, Congress)
The current assembly's term, which began in 2017, will expire on March 27, 2022. After ten years in office, Congress won an absolute majority with 77 seats in the 2017 Punjab Assembly elections, deposing the SAD-BJP government. The Aam Aadmi Party was the second-largest party in the 117-member Punjab Legislative Assembly, with 20 seats. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) won 15 seats, while the BJP won three.

Uttarakhand (Pushkar Singh Dhami, BJP)
In the 2017 Uttarakhand Assembly election, the Harish Rawat-led Congress administration was defeated by the BJP, which won by a landslide. The Uttarakhand Assembly has 70 seats in total, with 36 constituting a majority. These 70 Uttarakhand seats are divided into three regions: Garhwal (22 constituencies), Maidan (28 constituencies), and Kumaon (20).
In the 2017 Uttarakhand elections, the BJP deposed the Congress by winning 57 seats, the most any party has won since the state's inception in 2001. The Congress was reduced to 11 members. 

Also Read | Election Commission announces polls in UP, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa, Manipur; schedule inside

• Election commission
• Punjab Election 2022
• Uttar Pradesh Election 2022
• Goa Election 2022
• Manipur Election 2022
• Uttarakhand Election 2022