New Delhi, March 1 The Election Commission, led by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, will visit Kerala this week to assess the state's preparedness for upcoming elections, which are likely to be held next month.
The Commission is expected to arrive in Kerala on the night of March 5 and will begin its official tour on March 6 and 7, officials said on Sunday.
Besides Kerala, assembly elections are also due in Assam, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and West Bengal.
The Election Commission (EC) has already visited Assam, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry to assess poll preparedness.
CEC Kumar told reporters in Guwahati that the EC would finalize the poll schedule for the northeastern state, taking into account the Bihu festival, which falls on April 14.
It is customary for the EC to visit states where elections are due before announcing the election schedule.
The terms of the five assemblies end 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 end on May 20, 23, 10, and 7, respectively.
Last time, assembly elections in West Bengal were held in eight phases, which was the maximum.
In Assam, elections were held in two phases, and in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Puducherry, elections were held in a single phase.
All the states with upcoming elections have published their final voter lists after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list.