State poll schedule may be announced after October 13

Mumbai: The State Assembly election schedule is likely to be declared after a week. The state poll results in Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir will be declared on October 8. The poll process at these two places will be over on October 10.

According to the rules, new elections are not announced till the process already underway is over. Therefore, the poll programme for Maharashtra could be declared on October 13.

According to legal provisions, the new State Assembly should be formed before November 26, 2024. The poll process should be over before this date. The new assembly has to be formed within 45 days of the poll code implementation. If the voting is planned in the second week of November, the election code of conduct should be implemented between October 13 and 16. Thus, a new government is formed after 45 days.

Election Commission of India reviewed the preparedness

An Election Commission of India (ECI) team visited Mumbai recently. The team reviewed the poll preparedness in the State. It directed the State Government to transfer officials, who have completed their tenure of three years at their current postings. The State Chief Secretary and the State DGP have to submit a certificate to that effect to the ECI.

However, it came to the fore that the State Administration did not comply with the rule. The ECI took serious note of this. Some officials are posted in their home district. These officials are to be transferred out of their native district, which has not happened in the State. The ECI team also brought this to the notice and instructed the State Government to follow the instructions. CEC Rajiv Kumar revealed this.

New government will be in place before November 26: ECI

CEC Rajiv Kumar indicated that the State Assembly elections will be held in time. The term of the current Assembly is ending on November 26, 2024. The elections will be held before that date. The Shiv Sena (BT) and the NCP (AP) have demanded that the elections should be held in one phase only. But CEC Rajiv Kumar said that they would decide on the issue soon.