MARGAO, GOA, Mar 15: Congress leader Girish Chodankar launched a blistering attack on the Election Commission, claiming the newly announced assembly election schedule for four states and one Union Territory was meticulously crafted to align with the political calendar of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, dismissing it as a partisan maneuver designed to favor the ruling BJP.
Speaking to an enthusiastic gathering of party workers and supporters in Margao, Chodankar pointed to the single-day polling dates in Assam, Kerala, and Puducherry on April 9, alongside Tamil Nadu’s April 23 vote and West Bengal’s two-phase polls on April 23 and 29, arguing that the timeline conveniently suits the BJP’s high-command strategy for maximum campaign mobilization and resource allocation across these critical battlegrounds.
Despite the perceived bias, the Goa Congress heavyweight exuded confidence in his party’s prospects, boldly predicting outright victories in Tamil Nadu—where DMK’s MK Stalin has held sway since 2021—and Puducherry under N Rangasamy’s leadership since the same year. “We will turn voter discontent into a mandate for change,” Chodankar declared, highlighting anti-incumbency waves, economic grievances, and governance failures as key catalysts for Congress-led alliances to storm these southern bastions long dominated by regional heavyweights.
The provocative statement comes mere hours after Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar unveiled the schedule at a high-profile New Delhi press conference, flanked by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, who stressed zero tolerance for poll violence and immediate enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct across 824 constituencies, with counting fixed for May 4.
Chodankar’s outburst amplifies a broader opposition narrative questioning the EC’s neutrality, echoing sentiments from other INDIA bloc leaders who have flagged delays in force deployment and logistical arrangements in sensitive pockets. As campaigns ignite under the MCC’s watchful eye, BJP spokespersons are likely to counter with accusations of sour grapes, framing Congress’s rhetoric as desperate electioneering ahead of what they project as a mandate-reinforcing verdict.
This exchange sets the tone for a fiercely contested poll season, with Tamil Nadu’s 234 seats, West Bengal’s 294, Kerala’s 140, Assam’s 126, and Puducherry’s 33 (including three nominated) becoming epicenters of ideological clashes, regional pride, and national power plays, all unfolding against a backdrop of economic recovery debates, security concerns, and coalition realignments
