EC to announce Maharashtra, Jharkhand poll dates today

The Election Commission (EC) will announce the schedule for the Maharashtra and Jharkhand assembly polls on Tuesday.

The poll panel has convened a press conference here at 3.30 pm to announce the details.

While the term of the Maharashtra assembly ends on November 26, that of Jharkhand ends on January 5 next year.

Besides the general elections to the two assemblies, the EC can also announce bypolls to three Lok Sabha and at least 47 assembly seats which are lying vacant due to various reasons.

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

The Wayanad seat was vacated by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as he retained the Rae Bareli seat. He had won the Lok Sabha polls from both the seats.

Congress MP Vasant Chavan, who represented Nanded, and TMC MP Haji Sheikh Nurul Islam, who represented Basirhat, passed away recently.