EC likely to announce dates today

Mumbai: The Election Commission of India (ECI) is likely to announce the dates of Assembly polls in Maharashtra by Thursday.

Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora is likely to hold a press conference on Wedn-esday evening to announce the poll dates in Maharashtra, Hary-ana and Jharkhand.

According to sources, polling in Maharashtra may be held in two phases.

Senior officials of the State Election Comm-ission (SEC) said that once the date is announced, they would need a minimum of 35 days to prepare for polls.

The process is likely to get over, as per tradition, before Diwali holidays, which end on October 27, said a senior official.

Ahead of the Assembly polls, the state has asked for additional police security from the Election Commission and the Centre to maintain law and order.

A team of election commission officials visited the state on Tuesday to assess preparations for the polls. The team, headed by Mr Arora, held meetings with officials from the state government, Maharashtra police, railways, income tax, excise and other departments involved in preparation for the elections due in October.

As a norm, the chief election commissioner visits a state for a review before announcing elections. The review covers all aspects related to an election like voter-registration drives, polling booths, security arrangements and also steps taken by the state to maintain the election code of conduct.

While Maharashtra has 288 Assembly seats, Haryana has 90 seats and the state of Jharkhand has 81 seats in its Assembly.