The Election Commission of India (EC) is set to begin the first of the formal review visits by all three election commissioners to the five poll-bound states.

On Wednesday, the full commission will visit Chandigarh to take stock of preparations for the Punjab Assembly polls. Visits to Goa, Manipur, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh are expected to follow shortly. Except Uttar Pradesh, the terms of the other Assemblies end in March before which the EC has to conclude the polls. The Uttar Pradesh Assembly’s term ends in May.

However, all five polls are expected to be conducted together, sources said as the EC is empowered to hold elections within six months of the expiry of the term of a House.

The CBSE intends to hold the second term of board exams in March and April.

Revised electoral rolls are to be published on January 1, with Uttar Pradesh doing so on January 5, after which the voting dates are expected to be announced as the EC practically has only January and February to conduct the polls. Generally colder states avoid polling until late January as harsh weather discourages voters, especially the elderly.

The customary two-day visits of the full commission involve at least five main meetings, beginning with political parties, followed by a meeting with the chief electoral officer and nodal officers of the police, central forces, tax, narcotics, border forces and the health department - included after the pandemic began.

They then meet collectors who double up as district election officers, divisional commissioners and superintendents of police, and finally meet the chief secretary and the DGP to sort out any pending work that subordinate officers are unable to perform. These meetings usually end with a press conference.

A senior EC source said: “We have been meeting even booth level officers to understand how they are motivating voters, enrolling them and so on during our visits to states. After the customary meeting, deputy election commissioners will be regularly visiting the poll-bound states to resolve lacunae in the preparations.”

Another official added, “(Election commissioner) Anup Pandey has taken interest in news reports from UP, where he was chief secretary, about booth level officers (BLOs) being unaware of basic procedures, and a suicide of a BLO. He has asked questions to officers both in poll-bound and other states, so we are expecting more than the routine review until the polls are declared.”