Election dates announced by ECI set for three-cornered contest in Gujarat

In Gujarat, where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has held power for roughly 30 years with Congress as its main rival, there will be a three-cornered electoral battle as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) tries to gain ground in the home states of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
The 15th Gujarat assembly elections will be contested in two parts on December 1 and 5, the Election Commission of India (ECI) declared on Thursday. On December 8, a vote count will take place.

After the ECI declared that elections for the 68-seat Himachal Pradesh assembly would take place on November 12, the Gujarat election timetable was released. The ECI's decision to hold off on calling polls in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh on October 15 has drawn criticism from opposition parties. They claimed it was done to aid the BJP in announcing additional pre-election giveaways.

AAP has concentrated on topics including corruption, education, healthcare, and unemployment in the run-up to the 2022 elections. By promising "guarantees" like free energy, free education, and a monthly stipend to unemployed youngsters and women over 18, the party is hoping to gain traction in the BJP stronghold.
After easily winning the Punjab state assembly elections in March, AAP organised tricolour marches in 30 of Gujarat's 33 districts in only two days. Since then, Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann, the chief minister of Punjab, have made many trips to Gujarat, making announcements and staging rallies in the tribal districts of Saurashtra, Surat, and Gujarat, which have more than 90 assembly seats.