New Delhi (dpa) – Elections were scheduled to take place in five Indian states between January and March, reports said Sunday. The polling for the states with a total electorate of 126 million will begin on January 28 and continue through March 3, the Election Commission announced Saturday evening, the Hindu daily reported. Elections in the most-populous state of Uttar Pradesh will be held in seven phases. Uttarkhand, Manipur, Goa and Punjab will have single-phase elections. Counting has been scheduled for March 4. The elections are important for the Indian National Congress-led coalition that leads the federal government. The next national electons are slated for 2014. The Congress party was re-elected in 2009 but its credibility has suffered after a series of corruption scandals arose. The polls are also a litmus test for Rahul Gandhi, the heir of the powerful Gandhi dynasty and tipped as a future prime minister, who has led the Congress' campaign in Uttar Pradesh. Around 80,000 paramilitary forces, apart from state policemen, are expected to be deployed during the state polls. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/z1724 Tags: Election, Government, India, Voting Section: Latest News, South Asia
