The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday announced dates for assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana. However, EC did not announce the dates for the Maharashtra and Jharkhand assembly polls.
Addressing a press conference, Chief Election Commissioner (CE) Rajiv Kumar announced that the polls in Maharashtra will take place later because of Jammu and Kashmir's security needs.
Kumar went on to say that the recent Maharashtra monsoon season has made it difficult to update the voter list, which is an essential part of the voting process. Elections must be postponed because the state is now celebrating significant cultural and religious holidays, such as Pitru Paksha, Diwali, and Ganesh Chaturthi.
On being asked about Assembly Elections in Maharashtra, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar says, "Last time, Maharashtra and Haryana Assembly elections were held together. At that time, J&K was not a factor but this time there are 4 elections this year and 5th election immediately after this, which is to start with J&K, Haryana, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Delhi. Depending on the requirement of forces, we have decided to conduct 2 elections together...The other factor is that there was heavy rainfall in Maharashtra and there are several festivals lined up too..."
Additionally, Kumar pointed out that the Election Commission has the privilege to plan elections up to six months ahead of the Legislative Assembly's term end, providing for flexibility in the electoral calendar.
Consequently, the Chief Election Officer announced that Maharashtra's elections would now happen at a later time to allow for the effective completion of all required preparations.
