Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders in the poll-bound states of Goa, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh are bracing for the possibility of bringing the Assembly elections forward by at least a month, as the election process, scheduled for February next year, will coincide with the census, people familiar with the matter said.
One of the people, who did not wish to be named, added that there was a possibility that Manipur, which was scheduled to go to the polls along with these states, would hold elections later given the sporadic unrest.
Manipur, which has been witnessing Kuki-Maiti clashes since 2023, has witnessed an escalation in Kuki-Naga clashes in the past few months.
The main reason to consider moving the election date forward is recruitment.
“The enumerators and polling staff are likely to be drawn from the same pool — mostly teachers and government employees — which will lead to manpower shortage. The possibility of holding assembly polls in all states has been discussed,” said a senior BJP official requesting anonymity.
The 2027 Census is being conducted in two phases, the first phase, the household listing process currently underway, and the second phase, the population census scheduled for February 2027. The caste census will also be conducted during the second phase of the census.
In 2022, elections were held in all five states in February, with results announced in March. The term of the assemblies in Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur will end in March 2027, and the term of the Union Assembly 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 states except Himachal Pradesh and Punjab.
“Though the BJP is not ideologically in favor of holding early elections by truncating the term of the House, in this case, the logistical issue seems to favor a deviation from the norm,” the official quoted above said. The party’s huge win in West Bengal, which is seen as a sign of a strengthening Hindu vote bank and the government’s desire to move to an eventual one nation election cycle, are the other reasons cited in support of the snap elections.
In Uttarakhand, where the BJP hopes to retain power for a third consecutive term, the party has proposed moving the election date forward to December, later this year.
“The party made a proposal to avoid burdening employees who will be required to work long hours for both the elections and the census… If the elections are held at the end of the year, there will be a full month of rest for the people involved before they start collecting census data,” a state leader said.
In Punjab, both the Bharatiya Janata Party and the ruling Aam Aadmi Party have hinted at holding early elections.
A BJP official in Punjab, who requested anonymity, said: “The Election Commission will take the final decision, but all political parties have expressed concerns about the simultaneity of the two important processes. In states heading towards elections, this will pose a challenge.”
AAP has also started preparations for early elections. AAP leader and former Delhi Chief Minister. Announcing Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann as the party’s chief ministerial candidate, Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said that elections may be held as early as November (later this year).
“I have learned that elections in Punjab will not be held in February 2027 but in November this year. So, we must now work together to elect Mann as prime minister 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 told the cadre that we have to contest to win…the target has been set,” said the BJP state functionary quoted above.
In Goa, where the BJP won 20 of the 40 seats to form the government for a third consecutive term in 2022, preparations are underway for elections. The cadre here is keen to hold early elections because the government does not want the opposition to strengthen its position by making environmental and land issues the focus of its campaign.
In Uttar Pradesh, where the stakes are high and where the BJP is once again looking to win for the third time in a row, the possibility of an advanced election has been well received.
“There are incumbents in the state. The BJP’s landslide victory in West Bengal has motivated the cadre and we will go to the people with proof of our work… Even if the polls are more than a few months ahead, we are ready and willing to win,” a state party unit official said.
