Political parties and the election machinery have a month's time to put the new Maharashtra government in power. The Election Commission of India announced on Saturday that polling will be held in the state on October 21 and counting on October 24, a day before the Diwali festivities start.

With the announcement, a model code of conduct came into force on Saturday. This also means that no political decisions will be allowed to be taken by the government and a series of guidelines will have to be followed by the parties and candidates. About nine crore voters have been enrolled in Maharashtra where low polling percentage has been a worry. The recent elections showed some rise in rural Maharashtra, but the urban region remained short of expectations.