The Election Commission of India (ECI) will hold a crucial meeting in New Delhi on Wednesday to finalize the election schedule and phased poll plan for the upcoming Assembly elections in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala and Puducherry, after completing the final ground review in the polling areas.
The full bench of the commission, led by Chief Election Commissioner Ganesh Kumar along with Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, is expected to return to the national capital by Tuesday night after completing the multi-state readiness review, senior Election Commission of India (ECI) officials said.
“The committee will meet on Wednesday to evaluate field reports submitted by the state election machinery and central observers and take a final decision on the number of polling stages, deployment of security forces and the detailed schedule for the elections in all five regions,” a senior official said.
The commission’s visit to West Bengal was the final stage of its nationwide review process ahead of the elections. During the two-day visit, the IEC held meetings with senior administrative officials, police officials, district judges and representatives of political parties to assess readiness to hold the elections.
Similar preparatory meetings were held earlier in Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry as part of the Commission’s standard pre-election assessment process.
The review in West Bengal focused on the progress of the Special Intensive Review (SIR) of electoral rolls, law and order arrangements in sensitive areas and the strategy for deployment of Central Armed Police forces during polls, officials said.
Under election laws, the Commission must hold elections before the end of the term of the respective legislative assemblies. The term of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly ends on May 7, followed by Tamil Nadu on May 10, Assam on May 20, Kerala on May 23, and the Puducherry Assembly on June 15.
Once the commission is finalized and the election schedule is announced, the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) will come into effect immediately across election-related states, preventing governments from announcing new schemes or taking major policy decisions that could influence voters.
Security considerations are expected to play a major role in determining the number of polling stages, especially in West Bengal, which has historically witnessed multi-stage elections due to its size and security requirements. States like Tamil Nadu and Kerala have usually voted in one phase in previous Assembly elections.
Officials said Wednesday’s meeting will gather input from all states before the commission formally approves the final election schedule.
The Bharatiya Janata Party’s Central Election Committee, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which will finalize the names of contenders in the upcoming state elections, said on Thursday that people familiar with the details.
The Central Election Commission is expected to clear the names of all five election-bounded states including West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Kerala.
With inputs from Smriti Kak Ramachandran
