Elections in five states likely from February second week

New Delhi, Dec 20: Assembly elections in five states including Uttar Pradesh and Punjab are most likely to be between second week of February and the beginning of March, informed sources said on Monday.Sources said that the Election Commission (EC) may announce dates of the assembly election by last week of December.Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur will elect their new assemblies by next year.In Uttar Pradesh, there may be a four cornered contest among the ruling Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress while in Punjab, the new entrant Aam Aadmi Party has made the contest triangular.Sources said the EC is likely to go for dates between second week of February and the beginning of March, before school board examinations start. According to sources, the commission has sent directives to the state governments to consult them before deciding on the dates of the board and intermediate examinations.