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Mid-term poll may be held in September

It appears that the mid-term election to the Lok Sabha will be held in September in at least three phases.

It is also learnt that the Election Commission is considering simultaneous polls to nine state assemblies whose terms expire before March next year. These are Sikkim, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Goa, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa.

According to informed sources, the work of revision of electoral rolls is commencing on May 20, which will go on for two months. Elections can be announced and the presidential notification issued only after this work is completed.

The sources said taking into account various factors and the electoral process, polls can only be held in September so that the 13th Lok Sabha is constituted by October 21.

Meanwhile, Chief Election Commissioner M S Gill has refused to comment on the poll dates, saying that free and fair polls will be held in the country at the "appropriate time".

UNI

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