ECI likely to announce election schedule for poll-bound States today

The Election Commission of India will hold a press conference at Vigyan Bhawan at 4 p.m. Sunday to likely announce Assembly election schedules for Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry after reviewing poll preparedness and security arrangements across the regions

New Delhi: The Election Commission of India will hold a press conference at 4 p.m. on Sunday at New Delhi’s Vigyan Bhawan.

During this, the Commission will likely announce the poll schedule on Sunday for four states — Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu — and one Union Territory, Puducherry. After evaluating the election readiness in these states and UT recently, the Commission is ready to finalise the election timetable. The poll body has actively reviewed poll preparedness for the elections in several states, including West Bengal on March 9, Kerala on March 6, and Tamil Nadu on February 26.

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Additionally, the ECI reviewed Assam’s poll preparedness in February, focusing on security and electoral rolls. The Assam Assembly will conclude its term on May 20, whereas the Kerala Assembly will finalise its tenure on May 23. In Tamil Nadu, the Assembly’s term is scheduled to end on May 10, and in West Bengal, it will finish on May 7.

Additionally, the West Bengal Legislative Assembly consists of 294 total seats, Assam consists of 126, Kerala consists of 140, and Tamil Nadu consists of 234. Meanwhile, the Puducherry Legislative Assembly has a total of 33 seats.

The Commission interacted with political parties, ensuring voter protection and assessing Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) deployment.

Until the last elections, District Magistrates, including District Electoral Officers, were authorised to determine the movement of the CAPF before, during, or after the polls while the MCC was in force. However, this time, as the Commission decided, it will be the ECI-nominated police observers for the polls who will determine the CAPF movements for the respective districts.