The Election Commission of India (ECI) is likely to announce the schedule for the 2027 Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa during the first week of January, according to sources within the Commission.
Assembly elections are due in all five states next year. The Election Commission is currently reviewing preparations for the polls and is expected to announce the election schedule after completing its assessment of the arrangements.
According to sources, Chief Election Commissioner and the two other Election Commissioners are likely to visit the five states in the last week of November or during December to review the preparations.
The visits will take place after the Commission's team, comprising officials at the level of Deputy Election Commissioners (DECs), completes its assessment of the states.
The Election Commission's team is expected to complete its visits to all five states within November.
The team has already visited Punjab, Uttarakhand and Manipur to review election preparations.
In Uttar Pradesh, one visit has been completed, while two more visits are still pending. The team is also yet to visit Goa.
Once the team completes its assessment of all five states, it will submit a report to the Chief Election Commissioner and the two other Election Commissioners.
Following this, the three Election Commissioners are expected to visit the states themselves.
The dates for their visits will be finalised after the Deputy Election Commissioner-level team completes its assessment.
During the visits, the Election Commission's team will review the preparations being made by state election authorities and district administrations.
The assessment will include meetings with District Election Officers (DEOs) and Superintendents of Police (SPs).
The Commission will examine arrangements at polling stations, security measures and other administrative preparations required for conducting the elections.
The review will also cover the steps being taken by authorities to ensure that the election process is conducted smoothly.
During the visits of the three Election Commissioners, meetings are expected to be held with the states' Chief Secretaries, Directors General of Police (DGPs), District Election Officers and Superintendents of Police.
These meetings will provide an opportunity to assess the overall preparedness of the state administrations and police departments ahead of the elections.
The Election Commission is also expected to meet representatives of political parties during its visits to the five states.
These meetings will focus on election-related issues and concerns raised by political parties.
The Commission will hear their grievances and discuss matters related to the conduct of the elections.
Such meetings form part of the Election Commission's assessment before the announcement of the election schedule.
The Election Commission has not yet decided how many phases will be required to conduct voting across the five states.
According to sources, Punjab, Goa and Uttarakhand are likely to go to polls in a single phase.
However, Uttar Pradesh may witness voting in multiple phases because of its large geographical area and the arrangements required to conduct elections across the state.
The number of phases will be decided after the Election Commission completes its review of the preparations.
The final election schedule, including polling dates and other details, is expected to be announced in January.
The 2027 Assembly elections will be held in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa, with the Election Commission currently assessing the arrangements required to conduct the polls.
