In a significant development, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has recently released the schedule for the forthcoming Legislative Assembly Elections in five states: Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Rajasthan, and Telangana. Here are the latest updates on the assembly elections in India for 2023:

BJP’s Candidates Announcement

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has kickstarted its election campaign by announcing a list of candidates for the upcoming assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Rajasthan. In Madhya Pradesh, the party has unveiled a list of 57 candidates, with Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan set to contest from Budhni, and the State’s Home Minister Narottam Mishra contesting from Datia.

Chhattisgarh, on the other hand, has seen the release of 64 candidates in the party’s second list. Notably, former Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh will be contesting from Rajnandgaon, MP Renuka Singh from Bharatpur-Sonha, and Gomati Sai from Pathalgaon. In Rajasthan, the BJP has released its initial list of 41 candidates, with Diya Kumari contesting from Vidhyadhar Nagar, Santosh Meghwal from Sujangarh, Shravan Choudhary from Fatehpur, and Rajyavadhan Singh Rathore from Jothwara.

Rahul Gandhi’s Call for Caste Census

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has made a significant announcement, indicating that the Congress Working Committee unanimously supports the idea of conducting a caste census in the country. He emphasized the importance of this step for the betterment of marginalized communities and pledged to push the BJP to carry out the caste census or step aside for the Congress to initiate it. Rahul Gandhi also highlighted that a majority of parties in the INDIA alliance are in favor of the caste census, underlining the collective commitment to this progressive initiative.

Election Dates and Schedule

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has set the stage for the upcoming elections, with voting set to commence on November 7 in Chhattisgarh and Mizoram. Chhattisgarh will witness a two-phase election process, with the first phase on November 7 and the second on November 17. Madhya Pradesh will go to the polls on November 17, while Rajasthan and Telangana will follow on November 23 and 30, respectively. The counting of votes for all these states is scheduled for December 3.

Stay tuned for more updates as the assembly elections in India 2023 unfold, with parties gearing up for intense competition in these crucial states.