The Election Commission of India is expected to announce the dates for the Maharashtra assembly elections this week. There is also a possibility that the dates for the assembly elections in Jharkhand will also be announced along with it. It is being claimed that voting in Maharashtra may take place in the second or third week of November. While planning the election timeline, the Election Commission is considering the upcoming festivals including Diwali, Chhath, and Dev Deepawali from October 29 to November 3. Chhath is particularly important in Jharkhand and may lead to temporary migration of Bihari voters living in Maharashtra to their home states. 

The commission aims to schedule the elections after the festivals, giving migrant voters enough time to return to their registered polling places. Apart from the assembly elections, by-elections for over 45 assembly seats in various states may also coincide with this election cycle. By-elections will also be held for the Lok Sabha seats of Wayanad and Basirhat. The Wayanad seat fell vacant following the resignation of MP Rahul Gandhi, who retained his seat in Amethi. The Basirhat by-election is necessitated due to the death of sitting Trinamool MP Sheikh Nurul Islam.

The current term of the Maharashtra assembly ends on November 26, while the Jharkhand assembly's term will complete on January 5, 2025. In the 2019 elections, Jharkhand had five phases of polling while Maharashtra had just one phase. Given the successful conduct of recent elections in Jammu and Kashmir, the commission may implement a quick polling process in Jharkhand this time.