Assembly elections in Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry will be held between April 4 and May 16. Votes in all four states and one union territory will be counted on May 19.
Here are the latest developments:
Elections will be held in Assam in two phases on April 4 and April 11. Assam has 126 assembly seats.
In West Bengal, elections will be held in six phases, but seven days of polling - voting on April 4 and April 11 will be counted as a single phase, the poll panel said. Voting will also be held on April 17, April 21, April 25, April 30 and May 5. West Bengal has 294 seats.
Kerala will have elections in a single phase, with all 140 constituencies voting on May 16. Tamil Nadu and Puducherry will also vote in a single phase on May 16. Tamil Nadu has 234 seats and the union territory of Puducherry has 30 assembly seats.
The model code of conduct is in effect with immediate effect, the poll panel said. That means the Centre and governments in these states cannot make policy announcements with effect from Friday to ensure a level playing field for all parties.
The poll panel announced that in these elections NOTA - or the option of voting for none of the above - will have a symbol at the bottom of the list of candidates. It was so far presented as a test-only option, the commission said.
The BJP has not traditionally been a major player in the five states, but hopes to change that in these elections. It has been building up its cadres in West Bengal and Kerala, and hopes its performance in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections will translate into a chance at forming government in Assam.
In Assam, the BJP has announced pre-poll alliances with the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) of Prafulla Kumar Mahanta and the BJP and the Bodoland People's Front (BPF).
In West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of the Trinamool Congress is seeking a return to power in what could be a three-cornered contest, with talks of an alliance between the Left and the Congress. Ms Banerjee had contested the last assembly elections with the Congress and had uprooted the Left after 33 years in power, but later the two parted ways.
In Tamil Nadu J Jayalalithaa of the AIADMK too is fighting for a second term. Her arch rival M Karunanidhi of the DMK has joined hands with the Congress and is also said to be in talks with actor-turned-politician Vijaykanth - leader of the DMDK.
In Kerala, the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front or LDF hopes to oust the Congress-led United Democratic Front or UDF, which has ruled the state in the last five years with a razor thin majority.
