Gujarat poll dates row: Dates after Opposition pressure, says Congress

New Delhi: After much delay and criticism, the Election Commission on Wednesday announced a two-phase poll in Gujarat on December 9 and 14, setting off a high-decibel faceoff between the ruling BJP and the Opposition Congress.

All voters in Gujarat will be able to see their votes cast through the Voter-Verified Paper Trail Audit (VVPAT) machines, which will be installed along with the electronic voting machines.

The Congress claimed that the EC had declared the dates after facing moral pressure from the Opposition.

“The EC did not carry out its constitutional duties. The argument over delay in announcing dates due to flood relief operation is the weirdest we have heard,” Congress leader Anand Sharma said.

Gujarat PCC chief Bharat Singh Solanki said the delay in announcement of poll dates shows that in Gujarat, the BJP is running scared. “After UP there was a talk of preponing the Gujarat elections, but now they have postponed it. Prime Minister Modi is visiting the state again and again. The entire Cabinet has also been sent there,” Mr Solanki said.

The BJP was quick to hit back, reminding the Congress that only a few weeks ago it was praising the EC for its role in the Rajya Sabha election in Gujarat.