Election Commission to announce Bihar poll dates at 2.30 pm

New Delhi: The Election Commission will announce the schedule for Bihar Assembly Elections on Wednesday.

The Commission will hold a press conference at 2.30 pm today to announce the poll dates.

The central poll panel was expected to announce the dates yesterday but postponed it till today.

Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi and Election Commisioners AK Jyoti and Om Prakash Rawat had met in the capital yesterday to finalise the poll schedule. However, the announcement was deferred till today, sources said.

There is speculation that the Bihar Assembly polls could be held in five to seven phases beginning mid-October.

The phases could be spread over a month's period and the entire exercise is likely to be completed before Diwali on November 11.

Why the EC may have been finding it difficult to finalise the poll schedule is because several big festivals fall during the months of October and November — Dussehra, Lakshmi Puja, Kali Puja, Diwali and Chatt.

Last time, the 2010 Bihar elections were conducted in six phases spread over 30 days.