- By Aalok Sensharma
- Sat, 21 Sep 2019 08:29 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
New Delhi | Jagran News Desk: The Election Commission of India will hold a press conference on Saturday at 12:00 pm to announce the dates for Assembly Elections in Maharashtra and Haryana. However, the dates for polls in Jharkhand are unlikely to be announced along with the two states.
According to reports, polling in Maharashtra and Haryana could be held before the Diwali festival on October 27.
The Model Code of Conduct (MCC) will come into effect after the announcement of the dates.
Parties have already started their preparations for the upcoming Assembly elections. In Maharashtra, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis took out a Maha Jan Aadesh Yatra last month to reach out to voters across the state. PM Modi also addressed a rally at the close of the roadshow.
Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray has also announced that the BJP and Sena will contest the Assembly elections jointly and an announcement on the seat-sharing formula will be made in the next two days. Talking to reporters after a meeting with senior party leaders ahead of the elections slated next month, Thackeray said the "formula" was decided during the Lok Sabha elections, where the two parties had a pre-poll alliance.
In Haryana as well, the BJP's situation is looking better as the Congress is still trying to recover in the state, riven by factionalism.
The Election Commission in 2014, had announced the dates for Maharashtra and Haryana Assembly polls on September 12. The voting had taken place on 15 October while the results were announced on October 19.
In Maharashtra, the BJP emerged victorious as it won 122 seats in the 288-member assembly.
In Haryana, the saffron party won a majority for the first time in the 90-member Haryana assembly. The BJP got 47 seats and decimated the Congress and Om Prakash Chautala's INLD.