PANAJI
Goa assembly polls will be held on schedule in February next year, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said on Wednesday and ruled out early polls.
“Elections will be held on time. They will not be held early. It is scheduled to be held in February, so it will be held in February,” Sawant said.
The CM was responding to a question from a media person, who asked if the BJP’s newly started high-profile election constituency tour led by the former and state party president Sadanand Shet Tanavade was suggestive of early polls.
Five states are expected to go to polls along with Goa in early 2022. The states are Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Punjab.
The Election Commission had earlier mentioned it was confident of holding the five assembly polls due early next year as the poll panel had gained a lot of experience from the electoral exercise in Bihar, West Bengal and four other assemblies amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The terms of the legislative assemblies of Goa, Manipur, Punjab and Uttarakhand are coming to an end in March 2022, while the term of the Uttar Pradesh legislative assembly is scheduled to end in May.
