Click to play videoNew Delhi: The Election Commission on Monday announced dates for Assembly elections in Maharashtra, Haryana and Arunachal Pradesh.
Elections will be held in all the three states on October 13, Chief Election Commissioner Naveen Chawla announced on Monday.
Counting of votes will take place on October 22.
Filing of nomination papers in all three states will begin on September 18 and the last date of filing nominations will be September 29. Nominations can be withdrawn till September 29.
These elections are important, as it would be the first major test of the popularity of the second United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government which completed its 100 days in power last week.
The Congress is in power in all three states which where elections are scheduled. Rising food prices and drought remain as main issues before the electorate
In Haryana, the government called for early elections after dissolving the Assembly.
Arunachal Pradesh has 60 Assembly seats, Maharashtra 288 seats and Haryana 90 seats. There are 82,028 polling stations in Maharashtra, 12,894 polling stations in Haryana and 206 polling stations in Arunachal.
The Election Commission's model code of conduct has now come into force in the three states. Political parties are now bound to follow poll panel restrictions in their election campaigns. State governments also cannot announce or initiate any developmental programmes that may influence voters.
Chawla said no "caste or communal feelings" should be raised for securing votes and asked political parties not to use religious places for election campaigns.
"Mosques, churches, temples or other places of worship shall not be used as a forums for election campaigns," he said.
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