Election Commission may announce Maharashtra Assembly election dates today

According to reports, Election Commission is all geared up to announce the schedule of upcoming assembly elections today. Polling in Maharashtra and Haryana is supposed to be clubbed together.

Though elections in Jammu and Kashmir and Jharkhand were supposed to be held in December, this may wary after Kashmir was hit by major floods that ravaged its towns and villages. 

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had said that floods should not deter the election process but EC may fix dates keeping in mind the casualties and tragedy. 

The assembly elections will be held in two phases. The first phase will be in Haryana and Maharashtra and the second phase will be in Jammu and Kashmir and Jharkhand.

Sources suggest that Election Commission may announce dates as early as Tuesday. 

Earlier, speculation was that all four states would have elections together.

The election dates are awaited by Narendra Modi led BJP and Congress and its allies. This will be a major test for Modi's BJP to check if Modi wave still persists or has subsided after Lok Sabha elections 2014. Meanwhile, Congress expects to change its losing streak and make a comeback in by-polls. 

The legislative assembly of Jammu and Kashmir comprises 87 members. The last assembly elections were held in 2008.  The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) is ruling Jharkhand with the Congress. 

With agency inputs