The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday announced poll dates for the upcoming Assembly elections in Haryana as well as Jammu and Kashmir.

Elections will be held in Jammu and Kashmir in three phases, with the first phase starting on September 18. The second phase will be held on September 25 while the final phase will be held on October 1.

The election results will be declared on October 4.

Haryana Assembly elections will be conducted in a single phase on October 1, coinciding with the last phase of Jammu and Kashmir.

In Jammu and Kashmir, the main regions that will go to polls in the second phase include Srinagar, Ganderbal, Poonch, Rajouri, Reasi

The final phase will see north Kashmir, Udhampur, Jammu and Kathua going to polls in the Union Territory.

Announcing the poll dates, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar said that adequate security arrangements will be made for the ensuing peaceful elections across the UT.

Notably, the Assembly elections are due in three states including Haryana, Maharashtra, and Jharkhand.

The terms of legislative assemblies in Haryana and Maharashtra are set to expire on November 3 and November 26 respectively, while Jharkhand’s assembly term concludes in January next year.

Earlier in the day, speculations were rife over the announcement of election dates for Jammu and Kashmir, particularly after the Supreme Court set a deadline of September 30 to hold assembly elections in the Union Territory.