The Election Commission will announce the schedule for assembly polls in Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala, West Bengal and Puducherry on Friday afternoon, the poll panel said.

The poll panel has convened a press conference at 4.30 pm for the purpose.

The terms of legislative assemblies of four states -- Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala and West Bengal -- are coming to an end in May and June.

In Puducherry, President's Rule has been imposed and the assembly kept under suspended animation after the V Narayanasamy-led Congress government resigned earlier this week ahead of a vote of confidence.

Bengal will see the most high stakes battle with two-time Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee facing a tough challenge from the BJP amid an exodus from her Trinamool Congress to the BJP and corruption investigations against her party leaders.

The BJP is also campaigning aggressively to retain power in Assam, where it won for the first time in 2016, beating the Congress.