New Delhi: As the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the schedule for upcoming Assembly Elections in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala and Puducherry, the Congress party welcomed the announcement while asserting that the Election Commission should ensure free and fair polls without any "fear" of the ruling parties.
Congress' senior leader and treasurer Pawan Bansal said to the media, "We welcome the decision. We expect that while performing its constitutional duties, the EC will conduct elections without any fear."
When asked about Congress' previous demands to conduct elections via ballot papers rather than EVMs, Bansal replied, "Our demand at this juncture will not matter. We just expect ECI to be fair."
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During a press conference, the ECI informed that voting for five assembly elections will begin on March 27, with Assam going to polls first and West Bengal concluding it with the eighth phase of voting on April 29.
The counting of votes for four states and one union territory will be undertaken on May 2.
Congress showed full confidence in winning all the five poll-bound states saying that the people will give the response to the 'anti-public' policies of the BJP.
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"People are still suffering due to BJP's policies like Demonetization, haste GST implementation and many others. The government pats its own back for the GST collection but actually, it is due to inflation. Petrol and Diesel prices have broken the back of common people. They have increased the excise duty. The unemployment rate is increasing. But this government's arrogance will never get over," said the Congress leader.
Congress spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill also questioned Election Commission over the announcement, by tweeting, "On one hand BJP Government parrots idea of "One Nation One Election" and on the other hand EC announces 8 phase election for Bengal which shows the vast difference between the fictional world of sloganeering and reality of implementation."
