Chief Election Commissioner of India Achal Kumar Jyoti announced yesterday that Assembly polls in Gujarat would be held in two phases on 09th and 14th December.

A controversy has been brewing for the past few weeks with leading opposition parties including the Congress openly accusing the Election Commission of purposely delaying the announcement of the poll schedule for Gujarat Assembly polls so as to give the ruling BJP enough time to come out with more populist schemes which would become null and void once the schedule is announced by the Election Commission.

CEC had said on 12th October that Himachal Pradesh, which also is set to elect a new Assembly, would vote in a single phase on 09th November.  It was widely expected that he would announce the date of polling in Gujarat as well but for some reason, the CEC held back the announcement which he made only yesterday, adding that counting of votes in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh would be taken up together on 18th December.

CEC justified the ‘delay’ in announcing Gujarat’s poll schedule by referring to the rehabilitation work in progress in the aftermath of the recent floods in July.  However, it still stumped observers and political analysts as to why the CEC should keep voters and people in Himachal Pradesh in suspense for 39 days as the counting of votes would be taken up only on 18th December though it would vote on 09th November.