The Election Commission of India (ECI) will likely announce the schedule for Assembly elections to Haryana, Maharashtra, and Jharkhand today at 3 pm. It is also expected that the poll body may also announce the dates for elections in Jammu and Kashmir, which has been without an elected House for five years now.

The polling body stated that it would hold a press conference to announce the schedule for general elections to the legislative assembly of states.

Assembly polls in Haryana, Maharashtra, and Jharkhand are due to be held in the next 5 months. The terms of Maharashtra and Haryana Vidhan Sabha will end on November 3 and November 26, and Jharkhand's in January next year.

Jammu and Kashmir's polls are also due following the Supreme Court's directive to hold elections by September 30. Jammu and Kashmir has been without an elected government since 2018.

Earlier, the poll body held the assembly elections in Maharashtra and Haryana together, while Jharkhand's polls were conducted separately.

The announcement will detail the dates for various stages of the electoral process, including the filing of nominations, polling days, and the declaration of results.

The Election Commission has visited Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana recently to review the poll preparedness but is yet to visit Maharashtra.

Last week, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar stated that the polling body is "committed" to holding polls in Jammu and Kashmir as soon as possible, adding that the people of the Union Territory will give a befitting reply to "disruptive forces."

Earlier in 2019, the erstwhile state was bisected into two Union Territories, and its special status under Article 370 was abrogated. Since then, Jammu and Kashmir has been under the rule of the Lieutenant Governor.

Source: India Today