EC postpones Punjab polls to Feb 20 after request by CM, political parties
Public Lokpal
January 17, 2022
EC postpones Punjab polls to Feb 20 after request by CM, political parties
New Delhi : The Election Commission on Monday announced that it has decided to postpone the date of Punjab Assembly polls from February 14 to February 20 following requests by Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi and political parties to defer the elections in view of Guru Ravidas Jayanti which will be observed on February 16.
The date of notification will be issued on January 25, and the state would go to polls on February 20. The counting of votes will be done on March 10.
On Sunday, nearly a month before Punjab votes to elect its new government, Channi had urged the EC to postpone the February 14 Assembly polls by six days in view of Guru Ravidas Jayanti.
In a letter to Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra, Channi wrote that it was brought to his notice by some representatives of the Scheduled Castes community, which comprises around 32 per cent of the state’s population, that the birth anniversary of Guru Ravidas falls on February 16.
The EC noted that the Commission has also taken inputs from state government and Punjab’s Chief Electoral Officer in this regard.