Polls in UP, 4 other states in Feb-March

Uttar Pradesh, which is set to witness game-changer elections, and four other states will go to polls simultaneously, most likely in February-March. 

The elections will commence after the presentation of the Union Budget on February 1. While it will be a single-day polling in Punjab, Goa, Uttarakhand and Manipur, Uttar Pradesh is likely to have as many as seven phases, sources in the Election



Commission said.

The BJP, which had swept the Lok Sabha elections more than two years ago in Uttar Pradesh, is seeking to make a comeback by wresting power from the ruling SP. The BSP is expected to give a stiff challenge to both of them.

In Punjab, the ruling SAD-BJP combine is facing a tough battle from the Congress on the one hand, and a fledgling AAP on the other.