The power to decide the date of an election to a State Legislative Assembly rests with the

Under Article 324 of the Constitution of India, the power of superintendence, direction, and control of elections to the State Legislative Assemblies is vested in the Election Commission of India (ECI) [3]. This constitutional mandate grants the ECI the exclusive authority to manage the entire electoral process, which includes determining the election schedule [2]. The election schedule encompasses critical dates such as the notification of elections, the period for filing and withdrawing nominations, the date of polling, and the date for counting and declaring results [2]. While the Governor formally issues the notification for assembly elections, this is done based on the specific recommendation and schedule decided by the Election Commission [2]. This independence ensures that elections are conducted in a free and fair manner, allowing the Commission to postpone or cancel polls if the atmosphere is deemed unsuitable [2].

Sources

1. [1] Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 80: Elections > ELECTION MACHINERy3, > p. 573
2. [3] Laxmikanth, M. Indian Polity. 7th ed., McGraw Hill. > Chapter 43: Election Commission > CHAPTER " Election Commission > p. 419
3. [2] Indian Constitution at Work, Political Science Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 3: ELECTION AND REPRESENTATION > Special majority > p. 70