JK, Jharkhad poll dates announced

The Central Election Commission on Saturday announced the dates for assembly elections in both Jammu and Kashmir and Jharkhand.

The election would be held in five phases in both the states - on November 25, December 2, December 9, December 14 and on December 20. The counting of votes would be taken up on December 23.

Bypolls for three assembly seats in Delhi would be held on November 25. The multi-phased election was necessitated due to the insurgency in Kashmir and the Naxal violence in Jharkhand. In both the poll-bound states, the Congress is in power in association with its partners - the National Conference and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha.

In the event of the Congress losing both the states, it would not be in power in any state in north and west India. In that event, the Congress would be in power in only Karnataka, Kerala, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya and Uttarakhand.