Bhopal, Mar 9 (PTI) Poll dates for urban bodies and three-layer panchayats will be announced this month, a senior state election commission official said on Tuesday.

State Election Commissioner Basant Pratap Singh said the poll date for one local body (either urban bodies or the panchayats) will be announced in March as per the directives of the High Court.

Meanwhile, political parties said panchayat elections should be held first as these polls will not be possible during rains.

Singh said a lot of action with respect to panchayat elections is pending at the government level and these can be considered only if these processes are completed in 15 to 20 days.

"If these are not completed, then polls to urban bodies will be held first, he added.

While parties demanded that ballot papers be used, Singh said polls will be held using EVMS.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)