EC braces up for hectic work in 2012

The Election Commission is bracing up right from now for a hectic and crucial 2012 when it has to handle elections of the new president and vice-president of India and conduct assembly elections in five states, including the all-important Uttar Pradesh.

A tentative calendar of schedules drawn up to kick-start the preparations envisages the assembly polls in Punjab and Uttarakhand mid-January and those in Uttar Pradesh, Goa and Manipur in second week of April.

The Uttar Pradesh elections may be spread over to seven phases to complete the process mid-May, while Punjab will have a two-phase polls.

Even while busy with the elections in UP and the other two states, the Election Commission will get busy with the election of the new president, which is expected in mid-June.

Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quershi and his two colleague election commissioners have already started visiting the states going to polls in 2012.

They have completed one trip each to Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Manipur. The commission plans a visit to Goa in the third week of August to assess the poll preparations.