State Assembly elections in India, 2008
Encyclopedia
Multiple State Assemblies of India
went to elections
in 2008.
The first batch of elections for the year were announced by the Election Commission of India (ECI)
on 14 January 2008. This included the elections to the Legislative Assemblies
of the states of Meghalaya
, Nagaland
and Tripura
. Elections in all polling station
s of all 3 states were conducted using Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs)
.
Elections to the state Assembly of Karnataka
was announced by the ECI on 2 April 2008. This was the first election to be held under the new boundaries drawn up the Delimitation Commission of India
. The elections were split into 3 phases. Elections in all polling station
s of the state were conducted using EVMs
.
Elections in 4 states - Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh
, Mizoram
and Rajasthan
- as well as the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi were announced by the ECI on 14 October 2008. Of these, only Chattisgarh would have elections in 2 phases. All others would have a single phase election. Counting for all constituencies were held on the same day. All these elections were held in accordance with constituencies newly delimited
by the Delimitation Commission of India
. As has become the practice, EVMs would be used in all polling stations of all constituencies. Elections dates in Madhya Pradesh
and Mizoram
were subsequently amended by a new notice passed by the ECI on 29 October 2008.
On 19 October 2008, the ECI announced elections to the state Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir
. EVMs were used in all polling stations across the state. Taking into account various factors including weather, academic schedules and law & order situation in the state, the election is scheduled as a 7 phase marathon.
*1 In Meghalaya, the Indian National Congress (INC)
was the single largest party and was invited by the Governor to form the Government. However, their Chief Minister D. D. Lapang
was unable to secure enough support in the Assembly. The Meghalaya Progressive Alliance (MPA)
is a post election alliance formed by the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)
, United Democratic Party (UDP)
, Hill State People's Democratic Party (HPDP)
and others including two independents
*2 In Nagaland, the Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) retained control of the government. The single largest party in the Nagaland Assembly was the Nagaland People's Front (NPF)
who's leader formed the new Government.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
went to elections
Elections in India
India has a quasi federal government, with elected officials at the federal , state and local levels. On a national level, the head of government, the Prime Minister, is elected directly by the people, through a general election. All members of the federal legislature, the Parliament, are directly...
in 2008.
The first batch of elections for the year were announced by the Election Commission of India (ECI)
Election Commission of India
The Election Commission of India is an autonomous, quasi-judiciary constitutional body of India. Its mission is to conduct free and fair elections in India...
on 14 January 2008. This included the elections to the Legislative Assemblies
Vidhan Sabha
The Vidhan Sabha or the Legislative Assembly is the lower house or the sole house of the provincial legislature in the different states of India. The same name is also used for the lower house of the legislatures for two of the union territories, Delhi and Pondicherry...
of the states of Meghalaya
Meghalaya
Meghalaya is a state in north-eastern India. The word "Meghalaya" literally means the Abode of Clouds in Sanskrit and other Indic languages. Meghalaya is a hilly strip in the eastern part of the country about 300 km long and 100 km wide, with a total area of about 8,700 sq mi . The...
, Nagaland
Nagaland
Nagaland is a state in the far north-eastern part of India. It borders the state of Assam to the west, Arunachal Pradesh and part of Assam to the north, Burma to the east and Manipur to the south. The state capital is Kohima, and the largest city is Dimapur...
and Tripura
Tripura
Tripura is a state in North-East India, with an area of . It is the third smallest state of India, according to area. Tripura is surrounded by Bangladesh on the north, south, and west. The Indian states of Assam and Mizoram lie to the east. The capital is Agartala and the main languages spoken are...
. Elections in all polling station
Polling station
A polling place or polling station is where voters cast their ballots in elections.Since elections generally take place over a one- or two-day span on a periodic basis, often annual or longer, polling places are often located in facilities used for other purposes, such as schools, churches, sports...
s of all 3 states were conducted using Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs)
Indian voting machines
Electronic Voting Machines are beingused in Indian General and State Elections to implement electronic voting in part from 1999 elections and in total since 2002 elections...
.
Elections to the state Assembly of Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
was announced by the ECI on 2 April 2008. This was the first election to be held under the new boundaries drawn up the Delimitation Commission of India
Delimitation Commission of India
Delimitation commission or Boundary commission of India is a Commission established by Government of India under the provisions of the Delimitation Commission Act. The main task of the commission is to redraw the boundaries of the various assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies based on a recent...
. The elections were split into 3 phases. Elections in all polling station
Polling station
A polling place or polling station is where voters cast their ballots in elections.Since elections generally take place over a one- or two-day span on a periodic basis, often annual or longer, polling places are often located in facilities used for other purposes, such as schools, churches, sports...
s of the state were conducted using EVMs
Indian voting machines
Electronic Voting Machines are beingused in Indian General and State Elections to implement electronic voting in part from 1999 elections and in total since 2002 elections...
.
Elections in 4 states - Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....
, Mizoram
Mizoram
Mizoram is one of the Seven Sister States in North Eastern India, sharing borders with the states of Tripura, Assam, Manipur and with the neighbouring countries of Bangladesh and Burma. Mizoram became the 23rd state of India on 20 February 1987. Its capital is Aizawl. Mizoram is located in the...
and Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
- as well as the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi were announced by the ECI on 14 October 2008. Of these, only Chattisgarh would have elections in 2 phases. All others would have a single phase election. Counting for all constituencies were held on the same day. All these elections were held in accordance with constituencies newly delimited
Boundary delimitation
Boundary delimitation, or simply delimitation, is the term used to describe the drawing of boundaries, but is most often used to describe the drawing of electoral boundaries, specifically those of precincts, states, counties or other municipalities...
by the Delimitation Commission of India
Delimitation Commission of India
Delimitation commission or Boundary commission of India is a Commission established by Government of India under the provisions of the Delimitation Commission Act. The main task of the commission is to redraw the boundaries of the various assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies based on a recent...
. As has become the practice, EVMs would be used in all polling stations of all constituencies. Elections dates in Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....
and Mizoram
Mizoram
Mizoram is one of the Seven Sister States in North Eastern India, sharing borders with the states of Tripura, Assam, Manipur and with the neighbouring countries of Bangladesh and Burma. Mizoram became the 23rd state of India on 20 February 1987. Its capital is Aizawl. Mizoram is located in the...
were subsequently amended by a new notice passed by the ECI on 29 October 2008.
On 19 October 2008, the ECI announced elections to the state Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir is the northernmost state of India. It is situated mostly in the Himalayan mountains. Jammu and Kashmir shares a border with the states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab to the south and internationally with the People's Republic of China to the north and east and the...
. EVMs were used in all polling stations across the state. Taking into account various factors including weather, academic schedules and law & order situation in the state, the election is scheduled as a 7 phase marathon.
| State | Date of Polls | Seats (ACs) | Date of Counting | Incumbent | Election Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tripura | Saturday, 23 February 2008 | 60 | Friday, 7 Mar 2008 | CPI(M) Communist Party of India (Marxist) The Communist Party of India is a political party in India. It has a strong presence in the states of Kerala, West Bengal and Tripura. As of 2011, CPI is leading the state government in Tripura. It leads the Left Front coalition of leftist parties in various states and the national parliament of... |
CPI(M) Communist Party of India (Marxist) The Communist Party of India is a political party in India. It has a strong presence in the states of Kerala, West Bengal and Tripura. As of 2011, CPI is leading the state government in Tripura. It leads the Left Front coalition of leftist parties in various states and the national parliament of... |
| Meghalaya | Monday, 3 March 2008 | 60 | Friday, 7 Mar 2008 | INC Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian... |
MPA Meghalaya Progressive Alliance The Meghalaya Progressive Alliance was the ruling coalition of political parties that formed the Government in the state of Meghalaya, India from 2008 to 2009. It was led by the Nationalist Congress Party and the United Democratic Party who are the second and third largest parties in the 8th... *1 |
| Nagaland | Wednesday, 5 March 2008 | 60 | Saturday, 8 March 2008 | DAN | DAN*2 |
| Karnataka Karnataka state assembly elections, 2008 The Karnataka Legislative Assembly election of 2008 took place in 3 phases on May 10, May 16 and May 22, 2008 in 224 constituencies in Karnataka, India. The elections were conducted to elect the government in the state of Karnataka for the next five years. The votes were counted on May 25, 2008 and... |
Saturday, 10 May 2008 Friday, 16 May 2008 Thursday, 22 May 2008 |
240 | Sunday, 25 May 2008 | INC Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian... |
INC Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian... |
| Chattisgarh | Friday, 14 November 2008 Thursday, 20 November 2008 |
90 | Monday, 08 Dec 2008 | BJP Bharatiya Janata Party The Bharatiya Janata Party ,; translation: Indian People's Party) is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Indian National Congress. Established in 1980, it is India's second largest political party in terms of representation in the parliament... |
BJP Bharatiya Janata Party The Bharatiya Janata Party ,; translation: Indian People's Party) is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Indian National Congress. Established in 1980, it is India's second largest political party in terms of representation in the parliament... |
| Madhya Pradesh | Thursday, 27 November 2008 | 230 | Monday, 8 December 2008 | BJP Bharatiya Janata Party The Bharatiya Janata Party ,; translation: Indian People's Party) is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Indian National Congress. Established in 1980, it is India's second largest political party in terms of representation in the parliament... |
BJP Bharatiya Janata Party The Bharatiya Janata Party ,; translation: Indian People's Party) is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Indian National Congress. Established in 1980, it is India's second largest political party in terms of representation in the parliament... |
| Delhi Delhi state assembly elections, 2008 The Delhi state assembly elections 2008, which were held in November 2008 for Legislative Assembly of Delhi, led to the formation of Sheila Dixit's government of Indian National Congress.-November '2008:-External links:* *... |
Saturday, 29 November 2008 | 70 | Monday, 8 December 2008 | INC Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian... |
INC Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian... |
| Mizoram | Tuesday, 2 December 2008 | 40 | Monday, 08 Dec 2008 | MNF Mizo National Front Mizo National Front is a regional political party in Mizoram, India. MNF emerged out of the Mizo National Famine Front, which was formed by Pu Laldenga to protest against the inaction of the Indian central government towards the famine situation in the Mizo areas of the Assam state in 1959. It... |
INC Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian... |
| Rajasthan Rajasthan state assembly elections, 2008 ConstituencyName of Elected M.L.A.Party Affiliation1. SadulshaharSantosh Kumar SaharanIndian National Congress2. GanganagarRadhey ShyamBharatiya Janata Party3. KaranpurGurmeet Singh KunnarIndependent4. SuratgarhGanga JalIndian National Congress... |
Thursday, 4 December 2008 | 200 | Monday, 8 December 2008 | BJP Bharatiya Janata Party The Bharatiya Janata Party ,; translation: Indian People's Party) is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Indian National Congress. Established in 1980, it is India's second largest political party in terms of representation in the parliament... |
INC Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian... |
| Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir state assembly elections, 2008 Elections for the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir were held over seven days in November and December 2008. The previous government led by the Jammu and Kashmir People's Democratic Party in coalition with the Indian National Congress collapsed when the PDP withdrew... |
Monday, 17 November 2008 Sunday, 23 November 2008 Sunday, 30 November 2008 Sunday, 7 December 2008 Saturday 13 December 2008 Wednesday, 17 December 2008 Wednesday, 24 December 2008 |
87 | Sunday, 28 December 2008 | PDP Jammu and Kashmir People's Democratic Party The Jammu and Kashmir People's Democratic Party is a state political party in Jammu and Kashmir, India. It was founded in 1999 by the former Union Home Minister, Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, and captured power in the state of Jammu and Kashmir in October 2002 assembly elections. Since 2004 it has one... +INC Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian... |
NC Jammu & Kashmir National Conference The Jammu & Kashmir National Conference is a State political party in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, India. Led at the time of Indian Independence in 1947 by Sheikh Abdullah, it dominated electoral politics in the state for many decades... +INC Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian... |
*1 In Meghalaya, the Indian National Congress (INC)
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
was the single largest party and was invited by the Governor to form the Government. However, their Chief Minister D. D. Lapang
D. D. Lapang
Dr. Donwa Dethwelson Lapang , popularly known as Dr. D. D. Lapang, is a politician from Meghalaya, India, and the ex-chief minister of Meghalaya....
was unable to secure enough support in the Assembly. The Meghalaya Progressive Alliance (MPA)
Meghalaya Progressive Alliance
The Meghalaya Progressive Alliance was the ruling coalition of political parties that formed the Government in the state of Meghalaya, India from 2008 to 2009. It was led by the Nationalist Congress Party and the United Democratic Party who are the second and third largest parties in the 8th...
is a post election alliance formed by the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)
Nationalist Congress Party
The Nationalist Congress Party is a centre to centre left political party primarily based in the state of Maharashtra, India.-Background:...
, United Democratic Party (UDP)
United Democratic Party (Meghalaya)
The United Democratic Party is a political party recognised in Meghalaya state, India. It is led by Donkupar Roy....
, Hill State People's Democratic Party (HPDP)
Hill State People's Democratic Party
The Hill State People's Democratic Party is a political party of the Indian state of Meghalaya. Its president is H.S. Lyngdoh. Its symbol is a lion....
and others including two independents
*2 In Nagaland, the Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) retained control of the government. The single largest party in the Nagaland Assembly was the Nagaland People's Front (NPF)
Nagaland People's Front
The Nagaland People's Front is a political party in the Indian state of Nagaland. 2003-2008 it headed the state government of Nagaland together with Bharatiya Janata Party, as part of the Democratic Alliance of Nagaland. Dr. Shürhozelie is the president of the party...
who's leader formed the new Government.