EC to hold meeting today to finalise schedule for assembly elections in 5 states

New Delhi, Feb 23: The Election Commission to hold a meeting today to finalize the schedule for Assembly elections in 5 states.

On Friday, Deputy Election Commissioner Sudip Jain, who is also the in-charge, will be travelling to Kolkata to take note of the preparedness and updates. During his visit, Jain will hold a series of meetings with district magistrates and police superintendents.

Top officials from the Elections Commission will visit Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Kerala to review the poll-preparedness situation. The officials have already taken stock of the situation in West Bengal and Assam.

The ECI is a statement had informed that 12 companies of the Central Police Forces (CPF) will be sent to West Bengal, as is routinely sent in advance to poll stations for area domination to all the States or Union Territories where Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections are to take place and not specifically to West Bengal.

West Bengal may see assembly election spreading over six to eight phases while Assam is likely to vote in two to three phases. Votes will be counted on the same day in all these states.

As the Election Commission aims to finish polling process by April end, March and April will be the peak election season in West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry.

The terms of the legislative assemblies of five poll-bound states -- West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala, and Puducherry are will come to an end either in May or in June this year.