New Delhi: The Election Commission (EC) of India on Wednesday announced the poll dates for the five states of Uttar Pradesh (UP), Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur and Goa.

While Goa and Punjab will have single-phase election on February 4, Uttarakhand will vote on February 15. Manipur will have two-phase election on March 4 and 8. Voting in UP will be spread across seven phases starting February 11 and ending March 8.

Counting will take place in all the five states on March 11.

Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi said the contesting candidates will now have to submit a ‘No Demand Certificate’ from agencies providing amenities and government accommodation to them.

“The candidates will be required to file a no demand certificate and this certificate will come from agencies dealing with electricity, water, telephone and also the rent certificate of the government accommodation which these candidates may have occupied in past ten years,” Zaidi informed

He said that over 160 million people will participate in these polls for a total of 690 constituencies in five states, for which the Commission has set up 185,000 polling stations, 15 per cent more than those set up in 2012 polls.

The limit for expenditure for a candidate in election in UP, Punjab and Uttarakhand has been fixed as Rs2.8 million and for Goa, Manipur it would be Rs2 million.

Zaidi said that defence personnel posted away from their homes can cast their votes through one-way electronic transmission.

“We have decided to allow the defence personnel and central paramilitary forces personnel to cast their votes through one-way electronic transmission system. It will make it smooth for them,” he said.

The EC had first experimented the initiative in Puducherry in August 2016.

Almost all the main parties in the fray — the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) — welcomed the much-awaited election schedule.

The elections will also test the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s demonetisation move of banning 500 and 1,000 rupee notes that has triggered an unprecedented cash crunch.

The over month-long exercise will involve 160 million voters spread over 690 assembly seats, 403 of them alone in Uttar Pradesh, where an election victory will be crucial to the BJP ahead of the 2019 general elections.

All eyes will be on Uttar Pradesh, where the BJP is determined to take power by ousting the ruling Samajwadi Party — now in the throes of a huge crisis — and beating back a strong challenge from the BSP.

While the BJP rules Goa, it is a junior ally to the Shiromani Akali Dal-led government in Punjab. The Congress governs Uttarakhand and Manipur.

The AAP, the country’s youngest political outfit and which rules Delhi, will contest for the first time in Punjab and Goa.

“We are committed to conducting the elections in a free and fair manner,” Zaidi said. The Election Commission would also check the “misuse of black money and liquor”.

The poll panel also set the maximum limit for poll expenses for each candidate in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Uttarakhand at Rs2.8 million, while in Goa and Manipur it is Rs2 million.

TV channels owned by political parties or candidates will be monitored and the Press Council of India will help the panel in detecting paid news.

“Candidates will be required to open accounts in their banks and money more than the said amount will be removed from the account,” said Zaidi.

For the first time, there will be separate polling stations for women and photographs of the candidates will figure on the electronic voting machines.

— with inputs from IANS