NEW DELHI: The Election Commission (EC) is set to announce the poll dates for assembly elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand on Tuesday. The announcement will be made during a press conference at 3.30 pm.
With several upcoming festivals, including Diwali from October 29 to November 3, Chhath, and Dev Deepawali, the EC is likely to schedule the polling in the second week of November.This will allow voters, particularly those temporarily migrating for the festivals, ample time to return to their registered voting locations.
The elections will cover over 45 assembly seats across various states and include bypolls for the Lok Sabha seats of Wayanad and Basirhat. Wayanad’s seat became vacant following Rahul Gandhi’s resignation, while the Basirhat bypoll is due to the death of Trinamool MP Sheikh Nurul Islam.
Maharashtra’s legislative term ends on November 26, and Jharkhand’s assembly term concludes on January 5, 2025. The EC may conduct fewer polling phases in Jharkhand this year, having previously reduced the number of phases in Jammu and Kashmir elections.