From the Newsroom: Election Commission announces poll dates for TN, WB, Puducherry, Kerala, Assam

In your evening news brief, Election Commission announces poll schedule for 5 states, whose results will be out on 2nd May, Ministry of Home Affairs extends Covid-19 guidelines till March 31, 2021, and India tells China that disengagement at all friction points is necessary to contemplate any de-escalation of troops.

Here is the top news of February 26, 2021:

The election commission announced the poll schedule for 5 states:

Assam - 3 phases

1st phase: 27-03-2021

2nd phase: 1-04-2021

3rd phase: 6-04-2021

Kerala

Single phase: 6-04-2021 - 140 Assembly constituencies

Malappuram LS bypoll - same date

Tamil Nadu

Single phase: 6-04-2021- 234 Assembly constituencies

Kanyakumari LS bypoll: same date

Puducherry

Single Phase: 6-04-2021- 30 Assembly constituencies

West Bengal

1: 27-03-2021 - 30 Assembly constituencies

2: 1- 04- 2021 - 30 Assembly constituencies

3: 6 -04-2021 - 31 Assembly constituencies

4: 10-04-2021 - 44 Assembly constituencies

5: 17-04-2021 - 45 Assembly constituencies

6: 22-04-2021 - 43 Assembly constituencies

7: 26-04-2021 - 36 Assembly constituencies

8: 29-04-2021 - 35 Assembly constituencies

Result: 2-05-2021

The Ministry of Home Affairs on Friday issued an order to extend the existing surveillance, containment and caution guidelines for Covid-19 till March 31, 2021.

While there has been a substantial decline in the active and new Covid-19 cases, there is a need to maintain surveillance, containment and caution so as to fully overcome the pandemic, said a press release from the ministry.

Asserting that peace and tranquillity on the border is essential for development of bilateral relations, India has told China that disengagement at all friction points is necessary to contemplate any de-escalation of troops even as the two sides agreed to establish a hotline contact for timely exchange of views.

Releasing details of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's 75-minute telephonic conversation with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Thursday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement on Friday that China was told that bilateral relations have been impacted severely over last year. Wang, also a State Councilor, noted that the two countries need to properly handle the border issue so as to prevent the bilateral ties from trapping into a "vicious cycle" because of it.

Jaishankar told Wang that once disengagement is completed at all friction points, then the two sides could also look at broader de-escalation of troops in the area and work towards restoration of peace and tranquillity.

Source: DHNS/PTI