Assembly election schedule to be announced by ECI for 5 states today

The Election Commission of India will announce the schedule for stat assembly elections in Goa, Punjab, Manipur, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh at 3.30pm today, reports ANI.The announcement is expected to be made at a press conference at 3.30pm, ANI further said. Assembly elections in five states - Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand - are expected to be held in the next few months. 

While the term of the current Uttar Pradesh assembly is ending in May, those of the other four assemblies are ending on different dates in March. Two more states - Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat - will witness polling towards the end of the year. Besides the poll schedule, Covid-19 protocols will also be announced amid the rising number of cases across India. Last week, the poll body held a meeting with the Health Ministry to discuss the current Covid situation in the five states. The Health Ministry had submitted a report on the resurgence and the status of vaccination coverage across the nation. Several political parties have already announced cancellation of political rallies and are focusing more on digital campaigns in the wake of the unabated surge.