Digital Desk Lucknow: Assembly elections are going to be held in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur in 2027. Amidst the intensification of preparations in the electoral states, a major change has also been made regarding the process of Census 2027. In election states, the phase of population counting will be conducted first, whereas if we talk about Manipur, the first phase of census has been postponed here.
Amidst these developments, there is a possibility that assembly elections can be held in five states including UP and Punjab in February-March 2027. Let us tell you that the official election schedule has not been announced yet by the Election Commission.
The tenure of the assembly of these states will end in March
| State | expiry date |
| Manipur | 13 March 2027 |
| Goa | 14 March 2027 |
| Punjab | 22 March 2027 |
| Uttarakhand | 28 March 2027 |
| Uttar Pradesh | 22 May 2027 |
Let us tell you that in 2022, assembly elections in UP, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur were held in different phases during the same election cycle. The first meeting of the UP Assembly was held on 22 May 2022.
Why is there a possibility of elections in February-March?
Among the five states, the tenure of Manipur Assembly is to end first. In such a situation, a big challenge is facing the Election Commission to complete the election process in all the states before that. Looking at the current circumstances and according to the previous election pattern, there is a possibility of voting being held between February-March in 2027.
In such a situation, voting can be held in UP about two months before the end of the term of the Assembly. This will not be the first time, it is believed to be in line with the pattern of the last three elections.
What does the rule say?
According to constitutional rules, the Election Commission has been given the right to conduct elections up to six months before the end of the term of the Legislative Assembly in a state, but the actual polling schedule will be decided by the Election Commission.
Possibility of voting in several phases in UP
Uttar Pradesh is one of the largest and most populous states of the country. In such a situation, voting has to be done in several phases. But, considering the phases adopted during the recent elections in Bihar and West Bengal, the number of phases may be reduced this time.
If Uttar Pradesh is limited to two phases of voting like Bihar, then voting can be started in February or early March also. In such a situation, elections can be announced in January 2027.
SIR completed in three states, process ongoing in two states
The SIR process has been completed in three election-bound states, while work is still going on in two states. In such a situation, the possibility of conducting SIR in these states is considered less by the Election Commission before the announcement of assembly elections.
According to the data available after SIR, the number of voters in Uttar Pradesh stood at 13.4 crore, which is a decline of 13.2 percent. The number of voters in Goa stood at 10.6 lakh, a decline of 10.2 per cent, while that of Manipur stood at 19.3 lakh, a decline of 7.6 per cent.
If we talk about Punjab and Uttarakhand, then the list can be released in both the states in the next few months.
Center made major changes regarding census
Regarding the 2027 census, the central government has decided to conduct the population census phase first in the snow-covered areas of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Uttarakhand as well as in Goa.
This process will be completed between December 1, 2026 and January 4, 2027 and January 5, 2027 will be considered as the reference date.
At the same time, in Manipur, the house-listing phase of the census has been postponed.
Emphasis on coordination between elections and census
The main reason behind conducting the first phase of population census in four election-bound states is to avoid logistical problems arising out of conflict of election and census deadlines.
In fact, the conduct of both assembly elections and census requires a large number of government employees. A large number of these are teachers. In such a situation, having both the big campaigns at the same time may put pressure on the availability of employees and administrative system.
For this reason, steps have been taken towards completing the census program in election states first. Now the eye will be on the upcoming decisions of the Election Commission and the official schedule of 2027 assembly elections.
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