There is a possibility that Manipur, which was otherwise scheduled to go to the polls with these states, may have elections at a later date.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders in the poll-bound states of Goa, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh are gearing up for the possibility of assembly elections being advanced by at least a month, as the electoral exercise, scheduled for February next year, will coincide with the Census, people aware of the matter said.
There is a possibility that Manipur, which was otherwise scheduled to go to the polls with these states, may have elections at a later date given the sporadic instances of unrest, added one of the people, asking not to be named.
Manipur, roiled by Kuki-Meitei clashes since 2023, has, in the past few months, seen a flare-up in Kuki-Naga clashes.
The main reason for considering bringing the elections forward is staffing.
“Enumerators and polling personnel are likely to be drawn from the same pool–mostly teachers and government employees– which will lead to manpower shortage. The possibility of assembly polls being advanced has been discussed in all the states,” said a senior BJP functionary who asked not to be named.
Census 2027 is being conducted in two phases, with the first phase, a house listing exercise currently underway, and the second leg, the Population Enumeration (PE) scheduled for February 2027. Caste enumeration will also be done during the second phase of Census.
In 2022, elections to all five states were held in February and the results were declared in March. The tenure of the assemblies in Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur will expire in March 2027, and the UP assembly’s term will end in May. Two more states, Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat, are scheduled to go to the polls at the end of 2027. The BJP is in power in all the states except Himachal Pradesh and Punjab.
“Although the BJP ideologically does not favour early elections by truncating the term of the House, in this case, the logistical issue seems to favour a deviation from the norm,” said the functionary quoted above. The party’s big win in West Bengal, which is seen as sign of the consolidation of the Hindu vote bank and the government’s desire to move to a one-nation-one-election cycle eventually are the other reasons being cited for supporting early elections.
In Uttarakhand, where the BJP is hoping to retain power for the third consecutive term, the party had suggested advancing the polls to December, later this year.
“The party made the suggestion to avoid burdening the employees who would be required to put in long hours for both the election as well as Census…if elections were to be held at the end of the year, there will be a full month of rest for the people involved before they set out for Census data collection,” said a state leader.
In Punjab, both the BJP and the ruling Aam Aadmi Party, have hinted at early polls.
“The election commission will take the final decision, but all political parties have flagged concerns about the two important exercises coinciding. In poll-bound states this will be a challenge,” said a BJP functionary in Punjab, asking not to be named.
The AAP too has begun preparations for an early election. AAP leader and former Delhi chief minister. Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday, while declaring Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann as the party’s chief ministerial candidate, announced that elections could be held as early as November (later this year).
“I have learnt that the election in Punjab would not be held in February 2027 but in November this year. So, now we should work together to elect Mann as the CM again,” Kejriwal said.
In Punjab, where the BJP no longer has an alliance with the Akali Dal, the party unit has been asked to hit the ground running. “We had a high level meeting over the weekend, and union home minister Amit Shah has told the cadre that we have to contest to win…the target has been set,” said the state BJP functionary quoted above.
