Dates for Jharkhand Assembly election not to be announced with Maharashtra, Haryana: EC sources

The dates for the upcoming Assembly elections in Jharkhand will not be announced along with poll dates for Maharashtra and Haryana state polls, according to Election Commission (EC) sources.

According to sources, the EC is likely to announce the dates for Maharashtra and Haryana Assembly elections any day now. However, the EC deems that there are still three months left for the incumbent term of Jharkhand Vidhan Sabha to end, therefore, it is not fit to announce elections in the state as of now, as per sources.

The Vidhan Sabha term for Jharkhand Assembly will end on January 5. 

Earlier, the sources had suggested that dates for Assembly elections in all three states will be announced on September 19.   

While the tenure of the Haryana Legislative expires on November 2, the term of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly ends on November 9. 

A three-member team of the Election Commission had visited Mumbai on Monday to hold talks with the stakeholders before announcing the dates. The dates will be announced as soon as the panel gives its nod to the commission. In Haryana, the preparations are in the last phase.

Currently, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is in power in all three states and seeks to retain the majority for the next term.

On Thursday, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said that his party would not mind breaking alliance with the BJP if the latter fails to give half seats to Shiv Sena to contest in the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly election. This came after Zee Media had reported on September 17 that he tussle between the Shiv Sena and BJP over seat-sharing has increased ahead of the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly election 2019. Sources told Zee Media that the Shiv Sena has reiterated its condition of the '50-50 formula' for a pre-poll alliance with the BJP. It is learned that the BJP is unwilling to leave more than 124 for the Shiv Sena.