Election Commission
NEW DELHI: The Election Commission of India (ECI) is likely to announce the schedule for Assembly elections in West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry in the middle of March, officials said on Tuesday. Polling across the four states and one Union Territory is expected to be held on different dates in April, according to news agency PTI, citing sources.
Officials said that the poll panel plans to declare the election dates for all five assemblies together “sometime in middle of March”. The voting, however, could take place in multiple phases depending on the state.The terms of the five assemblies end on different dates in May and June. While the tenure of the Puducherry Assembly ends on June 15, the terms of the assemblies in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal will conclude on May 20, May 23, May 10 and May 7, respectively.The EC has already begun preparations and is touring the poll-bound states to assess readiness. A team of the poll body is currently in Assam to review election preparedness.In the previous Assembly elections, West Bengal went to polls in eight phases, the highest among the states. Assam voted in two phases, while Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry had single-phase elections.As part of preparations, the final electoral rolls are being published following revision exercises. Puducherry was the first to publish its final electoral roll on February 14 under the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of voter lists. Tamil Nadu is set to publish its post-SIR final roll on Tuesday, while Kerala will release its final list on February 21. West Bengal’s final voters’ list will be published on February 28.In Assam, where a special revision of electoral rolls was conducted instead of SIR, the final list was published on February 10.
