Assembly Elections Schedule Updates: J&K Polls To Be Held In Three Phases, Haryana On Single Day

The Election Commission will announce the schedule for assembly elections on Friday afternoon. The press conference is scheduled to start around 3:00 p.m., news agency PTI reported, adding that the EC invite to the media did not mention the states for which the election schedule would be announced.

The terms of the legislative assemblies of Haryana and Maharashtra end on Nov. 3 and Nov. 26, respectively. The poll panel also plans to hold assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir before Sept. 30, the deadline set by the Supreme Court.

Earlier this week, the Election Commission directed district election officers and superintendents of police in Haryana to act with complete impartiality and ensure a level playing field for free and fair assembly elections.

Underscoring its focus on an inducement-free poll process, the commission directed the enforcement agencies to work in a coordinated manner to curb the inflow of illicit liquor, cash and drugs.

The directions were issued by an Election Commission (EC) team led by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar.

During the visit, the team met representatives of national and state parties such as AAP, BJP, CPI(M), Congress, Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP).

The Union Home Ministry is learnt to have conveyed to the Election Commission its readiness to provide adequate security personnel for assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, PTI reported on Wednesday.

The assurance was given by Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla when he held a meeting with the election commissioners in New Delhi

The home secretary, the sources said, was 'on board' with EC's security assessment of Jammu and Kashmir relating to adequate security for contesting candidates as well as ensuring peaceful conduct of the democratic exercise.

He agreed to whatever the EC had sought for ensuring peaceful polls there, they said.

The Union Home Ministry is ready to provide sufficient number of security personnel proposed by EC to ensure the safety of candidates and for holding peaceful polls in the Union Territory, the sources said.

The Election Commission will announce the dates for assembly elections in Maharashtra today to elect 288 members of the state Legislative Assembly. The tenure of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly is scheduled to end on Nov. 26. The previous Assembly elections in Maharashtra were held in October 2019.

The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance achieved a majority to form the government, but due to internal conflict, Shiv Sena left the alliance to form a new alliance Maha Vikas Aghadi with Nationalist Congress Party and Indian National Congress. Maha Vikas Aghadi formed the state government with Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray becoming chief minister.

In June 2022, the Thackeray government collapsed after defections and the NDA returned to power with Eknath Shinde as CM.

Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar started his press briefing to announce the dates of Assembly elections.

J&K's total electors are 87.09 lakh. The state has 90 assembly seats. The number of polling stations will be 11,383.

The Legislative Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir was dissolved by the Governor in November 2018. The state has been under President's rule since. In August 2019, the state was bifurcated into J&K and Ladakh as separate Union Territories.

While J&K is a UT with legislature, Ladakh is a UT controlled by the Union government directly.

Haryana will have over 20,000 polling stations for 2 crore electors.

"We will ensure all candidates in Jammu & Kashmir get security," CEC Rajiv Kumar said. He said political parties have requested greater protection for leaders and candidates.

Assembly polls in J&K will be held in three phases-- Sept. 18, 25 and Oct. 1. The counting will be done on Oct. 4.

Assembly polls in Haryana will be held on Oct. 1. The counting will be done on Oct. 4.

The Election Commission has not announced the date for Maharashtra and Jharkhand assembly elections.

"There are rains going on in Maharashtra, BLOs are yet to finish their work. It is also the festive season. We thought we can only handle two elections at a time (J&K and Haryana). In any case, the elections will be within six months of the end of Assembly term," CEC Rajiv Kumar said.

"We come only during the Election. Drug is really a menace, and youth is getting into this habits. From our side we have focused on this issue in the previous elections, and we will continue to do the same," CEC Rajiv Kumar said during the press conference.

Money related to drugs goes to finance illegal activities including election, he added. Kumar also said that the EC hopes that the forces will keep a strict watch on the storage and trafficking of drugs.

"47 By-elections are due, in some states but due to the weather conditions we cannot do the by-election," CEC Rajiv Kumar said.

46 MLA election and one parliamentary election are still pending he added. In some states like Assam and Bihar there are flood like situation and Election Commision said people need some breathing space.

"Will most likely conduct all elections at the same time," said Kumar.