EC to visit TN, Puducherry from Feb 25 to 27 to assess poll preparedness

New Delhi: The Election Commission, led by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, will visit Tamil Nadu and Puducherry from February 25 to 27 to assess poll preparedness in the state and the Union territory where Assembly elections are likely to be held in April, officials said on Friday.

Besides Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, Assembly polls are due in Assam, Kerala and West Bengal.

The Election Commission (EC) visited Assam this week to assess poll preparedness. CEC Kumar told reporters in Guwahati that the EC would finalise the poll schedule for the northeastern state keeping in mind the festival of Bihu, which falls on April 14.

It is usual for the EC to visit states where polls are due before announcing the election schedule.

The terms of the five Assemblies end on different dates in May and June.

While the five-year term of the Puducherry Assembly ends on June 15, the terms of Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal Assemblies end on May 20, 23, 10 and 7, respectively.

Last time, Assembly polls in West Bengal were held in eight phases — by far the maximum. In Assam, elections were held in two phases, and in a single phase in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry.

Of the poll-bound Assemblies, Puducherry was the first to publish its final voter list on February 14 after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

West Bengal’s final voters’ list will be published on February 28.

In Assam, where a Special Revision of electoral rolls was conducted in place of SIR, the final list was published on February 10. mpost