Maharashtra, Jharkhand election dates to be announced today

The Election Commission will announce the schedule for Assembly elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand today. Besides the polls for the two assemblies, the poll panel can also announce bypolls for three Lok Sabha seats and 12 Assembly seats of UP and Gujarat.

In Short

• Poll panel calls press conference at 3.30 pm for Maharashtra, Jharkhand polls
• Maharashtra assembly term ending in November, while that of Jharkhand ends in January next year
• Bypolls for 12 Assembly seats of UP and Gujarat are also likely to be announced

The Election Commission will announce the schedule for Assembly polls for Maharashtra and Jharkhand today, a statement by the poll body said.

A press conference has been called by the poll body officials today at 3.30 pm in the national capital where the schedule of Assembly polls in Maharashtra and Jharkhand will be announced.

Before the announcement of the Assembly poll schedule, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar rejected questions on Electronic Voting Machines (EVM).

"The public answers the questions by participating in the voting. As far as the EVMs are concerned, they are 100 per cent foolproof...," Kumar said while speaking to news agency ANI.

The tenure of the 288-member Maharashtra assembly is ending in November this year, while the tenure of the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly will end on January 5, 2025.

In Maharashtra, the Eknath Sinde-led Mahayuti alliance is hopeful of returning to power with its allies -- BJP and NCP (Ajit Pawar faction).

Meanwhile, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), comprising Congress, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) and Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP), is aiming to regain power in the western state.

In Jharkhand, the ruling JMM-led alliance will aim to get a second term, while the BJP-led opposition will try to come back to power in the tribal-dominated state.

On Monday, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren confirmed that the JMM-led alliance will contest all 81 seats in the Assembly polls.

Speaking after a central committee meeting of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Soren expressed confidence in the party's electoral preparedness and assured that the alliance would regain power in the state.

LOK SABHA, ASSEMBLY BYPOLLS LIKELY TO BE ANNOUNCED

Besides the elections to the two assemblies, the poll panel can also announce bypolls for three Lok Sabha seats lying vacant for various reasons.

The three Lok Sabha seats that are vacant are Wayanad in Kerala, Nanded in Maharashtra and Basirhat in West Bengal.

The poll body is also likely to announce the bypolls for ten Assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh and two Assembly seats in Gujarat today.

In UP, bypolls are set to be held in ten assembly seats of UP -- Katehari (Ambedkar Nagar), Karhal (Mainpuri), Milkipur (Ayodhya), Meerapur (Muzaffarnagar), Ghaziabad, Majhawan (Mirzapur), Sisamau (Kanpur city), Khair (Aligarh), Phulpur (Prayagraj) and Kundarki (Moradabad).

Nine of these seats fell vacant after its MLAs were elected as MPs in the Lok Sabha polls, while in Sisamau, the bypoll is being held due to the disqualification of SP MLA Irfan Solanki, who was convicted in a criminal case.

In Gujarat, the bypolls will be held for Visavadar and Vav Assembly seats.

Visavadar fell vacant after the AAP candidate, Bhupendra Bhayani, won the assembly elections, but later resigned to join the BJP. While, the Vav Assembly seat fell vacant after Congress MLA Geniben Thakor, who was elected as Lok Sabha MP from Banaskantha, resigned from her membership.