ELECTIONS 2022 UPDATES: ELECTION DATES ANNOUNCED FOR HIMACHAL PRADESH

Himachal Pradesh's election dates were announced today; polling will take place on November 12 and results will be counted on December 8. The dates for the Gujarat elections were not disclosed by the election commission.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other prominent leaders held back-to-back rallies and visits to prepare for the crucial elections in the two BJP-controlled states.

Gujarat's assembly concludes on February 18 whereas Himachal Pradesh's finishes on January 8.

Officials from the Election Commission recently visited both states to assess election readiness.

While the majority in the 182-seat Gujarat assembly is 92, there are only 35 in Himachal Pradesh's 68 assembly seats.

For 68 assembly seats, there are more than 55 lakh eligible voters in Himachal Pradesh. The EC announced the election dates and noted that 1.86 lakh of these are first-time voters and 1.22 lakh are 80 years of age or older.

The BJP has won back four out of the five states where elections were held earlier this year. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) performed much better in Punjab than it did in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur, or Goa, where it returned for a second term.