New Delhi: Assembly elections in West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Puducherry are expected to be held on different dates in April, with the schedule expected to be announced in mid-March, officials said on Tuesday.
Officials said the Election Commission will announce the dates for the assembly elections simultaneously “sometime in mid-March,” and the elections could be held on different dates in April. The terms of the five assemblies expire on different dates in May and June.
While the Puducherry Assembly’s five-year term ends on June 15, the terms of the Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal assemblies expire on May 20, 23, 10, and 7, respectively.
The Election Commission has already begun visiting the poll-bound states and is already present in Assam to review election preparations.
Last time, the West Bengal Assembly elections were held in eight phases—the highest number of phases so far. Assam held elections in two phases, while Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Puducherry held them in a single phase. Among the upcoming Assembly elections, Puducherry is the first state to publish its final voter list on February 14th, following a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists.
Tamil Nadu will release its final list after the SIR on Tuesday, while Kerala will do so on February 21st. West Bengal’s final voter list will be published on February 28th.
Assam underwent a ‘special revision’ of voter lists instead of the SIR, and the final list was published on February 10th. In Guwahati, Assamese political parties on Tuesday urged the Election Commission to conduct the state Assembly elections in one or at most two phases.
The Commission’s full bench, led by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, is on a visit to Assam to review preparations for the upcoming Assembly elections. Political parties also urged the Commission to fix the election dates keeping in mind the Bihu festival falling on April 14.
