It is also learnt that Maharashtra administration has advocated a poll calendar only after the festival period gets over by November 15.
While Deepawali is on October 31, the state administration is learnt to have pointed out to ECI during its field review on September 26-28 that Dev Deepawali is an equally significant festival in Maharashtra for which people often travel and go on holidays.
In view of this, it was suggested that assembly polls be scheduled only after November 15. They also requested a mid-week schedule, unlike the Lok Sabha elections.
ECI is now left with a very narrow window for Maharashtra polls as a new assembly must be in place by November 26.
With the state administration and police confident of conducting a single day poll, provided adequate security cover is ensured, this can be achieved, people in the know said.While considerable paramilitary force was tied down for the conduct of J&K polls, deployment should not be challenging in Maharashtra for a single-day poll. 2019 also saw a single-phase poll in the state.Jharkhand polls, though likely to be announced alongside Maharashtra, have more elbow room as a new assembly must come in place in the state by January 5.
ECI will also decide on nearly 50 pending bypolls, necessitated due to the vacation of assembly seats by candidates who got elected to the 18th Lok Sabha. Rulebooks require vacant seats to be filled within six months. This implies that almost all bypolls will have to be held and vacancies filled by November.
The maximum mid-term vacancies are in UP with 10 seats, followed by six in West Bengal, five each in Assam and Rajasthan, four each in Bihar and Punjab, three each in Karnataka and Kerala, among others.
The clock is also ticking for Delhi assembly polls. The national capital must have a new assembly in place by February 5 and due process is already underway. The revised Delhi electoral roll is likely to be published by January 6.
