Punjab Election 2022: Capt Amarinder Singh 'all set for Big Day' as EC announces dates

Following the announcement of poll dates by the Election Commission of India, former Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Saturday said that he is ready for the big day that will decide the future of the state. He also appealed to people to exercise their franchise. 

Taking to the microblogging site, the Punjab Lok Congress chief said, "Sooner the better. We are all set for the Big Day that will decide the future of Punjab. I appeal to the people to participate in the carnival of democracy with full spirit while at the same time observing all COVID related protocols."

EC announces Punjab poll dates

The polls to elect 117 members to the Punjab Legislative Assembly will take place in a single phase on February 14. The counting of votes will take place on March 10.

Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra said that no roadshows, padayatra, cycle or bike rallies will be permitted will January 15. Regarding this, fresh instructions will be issued later. With the announcement of results, the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) has come into effect across Manipur, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Goa. The EC said that polls will be completed in seven phases for the five states.

Punjab elections 2017

The current assembly, elected in 2017, is set to expire on 27 March. In the last Assembly elections, the Indian National Congress bagged 77 out of 117 seats, pushing the ruling alliance between Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to third place with 18 seats. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was second with 20 seats and became the official opposition in the state. 

The current assembly, which was elected in 2017, is set to expire on March 27. In the last polls, Congress emerged victorious by winning 77 seats out of 117 seats, the AAP emerged as the second-largest party with 20 seats while the BJP-SAD alliance won 18 seats. 

Since 2017, Punjab Congress has gone through major changes with Amarinder Singh resigning as Chief Minister in September 2021 due to the humiliation he faced in the grand old party. Later, he announced his own political party-Punjab Lok Congress and forged an alliance with BJP and SAD (Sanyukt).

Image: PTI