Election Commission (EC) officials will hold a press conference at 3 pm on Friday, August 16, to reveal the schedule for the upcoming assembly elections.
Even though the specific states were not mentioned, it is anticipated that the dates will be for Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir (J&K).
The term of the Haryana Assembly will end in November, while a Supreme Court judgment mandates that elections in Jammu and Kashmir must be held by September 30, 2024. Jammu and Kashmir has not had an elected legislative assembly for five years.
In previous election cycles since 2009, EC has often conducted elections for Maharashtra and Haryana simultaneously, as their terms end within a month of each other.
However, there is precedent for the EC to separate state elections that have traditionally been held together, which may happen this time as well.
As per reports on Friday, the EC might schedule elections for J&K and Haryana together. The EC has recently visited both states to review poll preparations.
Following these visits, a meeting was held with Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla on Wednesday to discuss EC’s request for security personnel in J&K.
Due to the security situation in the Union Territory, all candidates will require security cover, resulting in an increased need for personnel. The elections are also expected to see a higher number of candidates.
According to sources, the EC estimates that an average of 10-20 candidates will contest from each constituency in J&K, which has a total of 90 seats in its Assembly.
The EC has estimated that 16,000 security personnel will be needed to provide security cover for all candidates.
J&K now has 90 seats instead of the previous 87 as a result of the Delimitation Commission's recommendations, which were finalised and submitted in May 2022.
This increase from 87 to 90 seats includes specific allocations for Jammu and Kashmir divisions, to address demographic changes and ensure fair political representation.
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