ECE announced poll itinerary in five states

Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi told at a press conference in Delhi that seven-phase polling will be held for Uttar Pradesh Assembly on 4th, 8th, 11th, 15th, 19th 23rd and 28th February next year.The Election Commission today announced a seven-phased poll in Uttar Pradesh between February 4 and 28, while assembly elections in Punjab, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa will be held in a single-phase. Punjab and Uttarakhand will go to polls on January 30, while it will be held on January 28 in Manipur and on March 3 in Goa. The counting of votes in all the states will be held together on March 4.Announcing the poll schedule in five states, Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi said the Model Code of Conduct comes into immediate effect in all the five states and will also apply to the Central government.Earlier, reports had it that the Mayawati government was planning to advance the school and college examinations to February to avoid an early poll. The seven-phased polling in Uttar Pradesh will be the longest in any state in the country so far. Uttar Pradesh, with 403 assembly constituencies (85 reserved for SCs), will witness polling in seven phases on February 4, 8, 11, 15, 19, 23 and 28. The term of the assembly in Punjab, with 117 constituencies of which 34 are reserved, ends on March 14, while that of Uttarakhand, which has 70 assembly seats of which 13 are reserved for SCs and 2 for STs, ends on March 12. The tenure of Manipur assembly (60 seats with one reserved for SCs and 19 for STs) ends on March 15, while that of Goa with 40 seats of which only one is reserved for SC, ends on June 14.