- By Shubham Bajpai
- Sun, 08 Feb 2026 07:58 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
The preparations of the Election Commission of India for the upcoming assembly elections in Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry indicate that the dates for the polls could be announced anytime in the first week of March.
In 2021, the assembly elections in these states were held simultaneously, and the dates were announced on February 26.
This year, the announcement is expected to be delayed, particularly due to the special intensive revision of voter lists currently underway in these states.
Meanwhile, the Commission may begin its tour after February 15 to assess the election preparations in the five states. Currently, the Commission has begun sending its lower-level officials to these states to assess ground preparations before its visit.
Election Commission meeting with observers
A team from the EC has arrived in Assam, and similar teams will soon depart for other states as well. As part of election preparations, the ECI recently held meetings with observers to be deployed in the five states. They also briefed them on the precautions to be taken during their deployment.
When will final voter list be published?
According to the poll body, the final voter list for Assam will be published on February 10, while those for Bengal, Kerala, and Puducherry will be published on February 14 and for Tamil Nadu on February 17. Once the rolls are published, the EC will start reviewing the election preparations in these states.
SIR will soon be launched in the remaining states as well.
After completing the ongoing Phase II of the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in 12 states of the country, the poll body is now preparing to start SIR soon in all those states, including Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Jammu and Kashmir.
It is expected that the announcement regarding the third phase of SIR will also be made in March. According to a Jagran.com report, citing sources close to the EC, the SIR will now be conducted simultaneously in all states where the remaining SIR work is pending.