EC to ‘integrate’ schedules with board exams amid upcoming polls

New Delhi:The new and slightly delayed exam schedules for classes 10 and 12 will have a significant bearing on the election schedules for the upcoming polls in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala and Puducherry. The exam dates will be kept in mind by the Election Commission when it charts out the voting dates.

ET learned that the poll panel has already held discussions with officials from the Central Board of Secondary Education(CBSE), the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) and school boards regarding the poll-bound states to ensure that there is a ‘good integration’ of the election schedule and exam dates. While the education ministry has announced CBSE exam dates between May 4 and June 10, the new state assemblies have to be formed between May 24 and June 8 across the states which are headed for elections. This will mean a need to schedule elections well in time so as not to clash with exam dates. This is in the backdrop of the deadlines the poll panel is working on.

While a new state assembly has to be set up in Tamil Nadu by May 24, West Bengal has to do the same by May 30. Assam must have a new assembly by May 31 while Kerala follows the June 1 deadline. The Union Territory of Puducherry is last in the tally and must have a new assembly sworn-in by June 8. While the CBSE exam dates have been announced, ISCE and school boards are yet to announce their schedules.


Tamil Nadu education minister said the state will schedule exams according to the election dates decided by the poll panel. The CISCE had earlier written to Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora seeking information on the poll schedule so as to plan the board exams accordingly. T he EC also recently held discussions on the issue with boards, said officials. These discussions are crucial as ensuring availability of both the schools that serve as polling centres as well as the teachers who often serve as polling staff are essential to the smooth conduct of elections. Due to the Covid-19 constraints, there are also additional requirements of polling booths, campaign premises and more staff on election duty to ensure adequate social distancing.

That apart, there may be even more requirements for West Bengal and Assam elections where law and order is a concern and in Tamil Nadu where illegal money flow has been a major issue. All these factors will have significant bearing on the EC’s schedule for polls.

The EC has already initiated the process towards it. The poll panel teams have already completed their initial visits to the poll-bound states last month. It is now expected that the entire Election Commission— CEC Sunil Arora and Election Commissioners Sushil Chandra and Rajiv Kumar—will soon visit the states for a hands-on assessment of election preparednesss.