EC likely to announce Maharashtra, Haryana assembly election dates by Saturday

The Election Commission is likely to take a call on the poll dates of Maharashtra and Haryana Assemblies after holding discussions with the two State Election Commissions. The poll panel has also asked it's management and planning team to prepare a booklet on election-related announcements in the two states. 

The EC internally decide about the dates. An announcement on the same is expected by Saturday (September 21).

According to sources, polls will be held in a single phase in Haryana and two phases in Maharashtra.

Earlier in September, Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora, along with election commissioners Ashok Lavasa and Sushil Chandra, visited Maharashtra to assess the ongoing preparations for the state Assembly elections.

Rejecting Maharashtra opposition parties` demand against the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the upcoming Assembly polls, CEC Arora said on Wednesday "ballot papers are history now."

Referring to a list of alleged bogus voters submitted by the Congress, Arora said the work of deleting such voters was an ongoing process and was underway. The state poll authorities had been asked to make the electoral rolls error-free, he added.