Five states to vote between February 4 and March 8: Zaidi

Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur will be held between February 4 and March 8, Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi announced on Wednesday.

The results will be known on March 11. The phase-1 of UP assembly elections will take place on February 11, phase-2 on Feb. 15, phase-3 on Feb. 19, phase-4 on Feb. 23, phase-5 on Feb. 27, phase-6 on March 4 and phase-7 on March 8.

He also said that the  defence personnel posted away from their homes can cast their votes through one-way electronic transmission in the upcoming state polls.

"We have decided to allow the defence personnel and central para-military forces personnel to cast their votes through one-way electronic transmission system," Chief Election Commissioner told reporters here before announcing the dates of the assembly polls in five states in 2017.

Zaidi also said that the EC had first experimented the initiative in Puducherry in August 2016.