Five crucial states of India including Punjab, Uttar Pradesh gear up for bellwether local polls
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Early next year, citizens will vote for a new local government, with polls in five states, including the country's most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, widely regarded as a forerunner to the 2024 general election.
In India's five states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur, Goa, and Punjab, the stage is set for local elections (Legislative Assembly elections).
The Bharatiya Janata Party governs the first four, while the Congress governs the fifth.
Despite the fact that the dates have yet to be set, all political parties in the election-bound states have begun flexing their muscles.
The Legislative Assembly elections in India are held every 5 years in which the Indian electorate chooses the members of the Vidhan Sabha (or Legislative/State Assembly).
In March 2022, the Legislative Assemblies of Goa, Manipur, Punjab, and Uttarakhand will finish their tenures.
The Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly's term is set to end in May.
Detail of terms of the Houses of upcoming election States
| HOUSE/STATE | FROM | TO | SEAT |
| GOA | 16.03.2017 | 15.03.2022 | 40 |
| MANIPUR | 20.03.2017 | 19.03.2022 | 60 |
| UTTARAKHAND | 24.03.2017 | 23.03.2022 | 70 |
| PUNJAB | 28.03.2017 | 27.03.2022 | 117 |
| UTTAR PRADESH | 15.05.2017 | 14.05.2022 | 403 |
The present partywise status of all five state assemblies in (based on 2017 results):
UTTAR PRADESH: Total seats 403 | 202 seats needed for a majority
| Party | Results |
| BJP | 312 |
| SP | 47 |
| BSP | 19 |
| AD | 9 |
| INC | 7 |
| Others | 9 |
PUNJAB: Total 117 seats | 59 seats needed for a majority
| Party | Result |
| INC | 77 |
| AAP | 20 |
| SAD | 15 |
| BJP | 3 |
| Others | 2 |
UTTARAKHAND: Total 70 seats | 36 seats needed for a majority
| Party | Results |
| BJP | 57 |
| INC | 11 |
| IND | 2 |
GOA: Total 40 seats | 21 seats needed for a majority
| Party | Results |
| INC | 17 |
| BJP | 13 |
| IND | 3 |
| GFP | 3 |
| Others | 4 |
Manipur: Total 60 seats | 31 seats needed for a majority
| Party | Results |
| INC | 28 |
| BJP | 21 |
| TMC | 1 |
| Others | 10 |
These assembly elections will be crucial not only for national parties like the BJP and the Congress, but also for regional parties.