EC to visit Mumbai to review Maharashtra's poll preps

The Election Commission will visit Mumbai on September 17 and interact with various stakeholders in the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections as part of its review of the state's poll preparedness, sources said on September 16.

Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora will reach Mumbai with Election Commissioners Ashok Lavasa and Sushil Chandra and hold meetings with civil administration and police officials besides various parties' leaders there to take stock of the state's poll readiness.

The meetings would be spread over two days between September 17 and 18.

The poll panel will be back to Delhi after that.

The term of the 288-member Maharashtra assembly ends on November 9 and a new assembly has to be constituted before that.

It was learnt that the Commission could announce assembly elections in Maharashtra and Haryana together in next few days.

The BJP is vying to retain power in the state and is in talks with the Shiv Sena over the seat-sharing arrangements, while the NCP and the Congress have decided to contest the polls together.