New Delhi, March 15 – The Election Commission of India will hold a press conference at 4 p.m. on Sunday at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi.
During this, the Commission is likely to announce the election schedule for four states – Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu – and one Union Territory, Puducherry, on Sunday.
Following an assessment of the election readiness in these states and UTs recently, the Commission is ready to finalize the election timetable.
The election authority has actively reviewed the preparedness for elections in several states, including West Bengal on March 9, Kerala on March 6, and Tamil Nadu on February 26.
Additionally, the ECI reviewed Assam's election preparedness in February, focusing on security and electoral rolls.
The Assam Assembly will conclude its term on May 20, while the Kerala Assembly will finalize its tenure on May 23.
In Tamil Nadu, the Assembly's term is scheduled to end on May 10, and in West Bengal, it will finish on May 7.
Additionally, the West Bengal Legislative Assembly consists of 294 total seats, Assam consists of 126, Kerala consists of 140, and Tamil Nadu consists of 234. Meanwhile, the Puducherry Legislative Assembly has a total of 33 seats.
The Commission interacted with political parties, ensuring voter protection and assessing the deployment of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF).
Until the last elections, District Magistrates, including District Electoral Officers, were authorized to determine the movement of the CAPF before, during, or after the polls while the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) was in force.
However, this time, as the Commission decided, it will be the ECI-nominated police observers for the polls who will determine the CAPF movements for the respective districts.