New Delhi: The Election Commission of India (ECI) is expected to announce the schedule for assembly elections in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Puducherry this week.
The Election Commission is expected to announce the election schedule for four states and one Union Territory (UT) after the completion of its full bench, led by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, in West Bengal.
The Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners are currently in West Bengal to review preparations for the upcoming assembly elections. The term of the Assam Legislative Assembly is set to expire on May 20, while the term of Kerala will expire on May 23.
The term of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly ends on May 10, and the term of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly will expire on May 7.
Election Commission sources told ETV Bharat, “The full bench of the Election Commission, led by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, visited Assam, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Kerala to review preparations for the upcoming assembly elections. Now, the full bench is on a tour of poll-bound West Bengal.”
After reviewing election preparations in West Bengal, the full bench will return to Delhi on March 10. They said, “The Election Commission will then decide on announcing the schedule for assembly elections in these states and union territories. It is likely that the announcement will be made this week.”
Sources further stated, “The Election Commission is fully prepared to conduct assembly elections in these states and union territories, with the aim of ensuring free and fair elections.”
For the assembly elections in Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry, the Election Commission will, for the first time, implement 100 percent webcasting at all polling stations. They stated, “The purpose of this initiative is to facilitate real-time monitoring of the electoral process.”
Election Commission sources stated that monitoring teams will be formed at the Returning Officer (RO), District Election Officer (DEO), and Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) levels. They added, “The purpose of this move is to ensure free and fair elections.”
Notably, Bihar was the state where 100 percent webcasting was implemented at all polling stations during the assembly elections held late last year. Previously, webcasting was required at 50 percent of polling stations, except for crucial polling stations.
In states like Assam and Kerala, during discussions with the full bench of the Election Commission, various Referring to suggestions from representatives of prominent national and regional political parties that upcoming local festivals be taken into account when announcing the election schedule, he said, “The Election Commission has taken this into consideration.”
In Assam, during a full-bench discussion last month, most political parties appealed for elections to be held in a single phase or, at most, two phases. They demanded that the assembly election dates be set keeping in mind the upcoming Bihu festival.
According to Election Commission sources, several initiatives are being implemented under the Systematic Voter Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) program to increase voter participation in the upcoming assembly elections.
He said such activities help voters actively participate in the electoral process and strengthen democracy.
It is worth noting that, apart from Assam, the Election Commission conducted a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists in the poll-bound states of West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry. Special Revision (SR) of the voter list was done in 2017.
