The Election Commission is expected to announce the poll schedule in mid-March, with assembly elections in West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry likely to be held in April.
New Delhi, Feb 17 (PTI): The Election Commission of India (ECI) is likely to announce the poll schedule for assembly elections in West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry sometime in mid-March, with voting expected to take place on various dates in April, officials said on Tuesday.
According to sources familiar with the preparations, the Commission is expected to unveil the election dates together, continuing its practice of synchronised announcements for states going to polls around the same period.
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While voting could be staggered across multiple phases depending on logistical and security considerations, polling across all five regions is anticipated to conclude before the expiry of their respective assembly terms.
The terms of the outgoing assemblies end between May and June, necessitating the completion of the electoral process in advance.
The five-year tenure of the Puducherry Legislative Assembly ends on June 15, while the assemblies of Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam, and Kerala are scheduled to complete their terms in May.
As part of its pre-poll readiness exercise, the ECI has already begun conducting ground assessments in poll-bound states. Senior Commission officials are currently touring states to evaluate law-and-order conditions, polling station preparedness, security deployment, and electoral roll updates.
The Commission’s full bench is already in Assam, reviewing administrative arrangements and coordination with state authorities.
Election planning includes evaluating the requirement for central armed police forces (CAPF), particularly in states like West Bengal, which historically witness multi-phase voting due to security sensitivities.
In the previous assembly elections, West Bengal recorded polling in eight phases, the highest among the five regions. Assam saw elections conducted in two phases, while Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry held polling in single phases.
A critical component of election preparedness — revision of electoral rolls — is nearing completion across states. Puducherry became the first among the five regions to publish its final electoral roll on February 14 under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
Tamil Nadu is scheduled to publish its post-SIR final roll this week, while Kerala will release its updated voters’ list on February 21.
West Bengal is expected to publish its final voters’ list by February 28, completing a key milestone ahead of the election announcement. In Assam, where a special revision of electoral rolls was conducted instead of the SIR process, the final list was published earlier on February 10.
Officials indicated that the completion of electoral roll updates will enable the Commission to finalise polling station arrangements and candidate nomination timelines.
The ECI is also expected to issue the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) immediately upon announcing the poll schedule, triggering restrictions on government announcements and campaign conduct.
With political activity intensifying across the states, parties are gearing up for what is expected to be a high-stakes electoral contest in key regions representing diverse political landscapes.
Published: 17 Feb 2026, 04:02 pm IST
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