The Election Commission of India (ECI) is set to hold a press conference at noon to announce the dates of two state assembly elections. While the assembly elections are due in Maharashtra, Jharkhand, and Haryana this year, the dates for Maharashtra and Haryana are to be announced today.

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Model code of conduct to come into effect

The model code of conduct would come into effect once the announcement is made. Election Commission of India (ECI) reviewed poll preparedness on September 18. Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora along with officials of the state election commission and state police officers met political parties who are vying for the elections. 

ECI's poll preparedness review

In 2014, the ECI had announced the dates for the elections for the three states on September 12. Voting took place on October 15 and the results were announced on October 19 for Maharashtra and Haryana. Haryana in the last elections, the BJP had won with 47 seats beating the Congress and INLD. In Maharashtra, the BJP came to power through an alliance with the Shiv Sena while the Congress lost its government. This year, BJP is contesting to retain power in the state with its ally Shiv Sena, while the NCP and the Congress have decided to contest the polls together. 

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Seat Sharing in Maharashtra

Amid speculations that the BJP might not agree to the seat-sharing formula being proposed by it for upcoming assembly elections, the Shiv Sena has been conducting interviews of ticket aspirants for all the 288 assembly seats and reviewed its poll preparedness on Sunday at a party meeting. Shiv Sena is stressing on the 50:50 seat-sharing formula for the upcoming polls, whereas BJP is eyeing more seats to accommodate leaders from other parties who have joined the party recently. 

Yuva Sena chief Aditya Thackeray, who was touring Konkan region as a part of his 'Jan Aashirwad Yatra', maintained the Shiv Sena will go by the 50:50 formula announced by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis while declaring the alliance in February.

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In 2014 elections, the Shiv Sena and the BJP had contested the assembly elections separately, as the seat-sharing talks between the two parties collapsed at the last moment. The two parties came together after the elections to form the government with BJP winning 122 seats and Shiv Sena with 63.

On the other end, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Monday said the NCP and Indian National Congress (INC) will contest 125 seats each in the upcoming polls while 38 seats are given to smaller allies across the state.

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