<br/>The stage is set for the October 13 assembly elections in Maharashtra where the ruling Congress-led alliance faces a stiff challenge from the Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) combine for the control of one of country's most industrialized states. In 2004, the Congress and NCP won 139 seats in the 288-member assembly. The Shiv Sena and BJP had finished with 119 seats while smaller groups as well as independents secured 30 seats. A total of 3,559 candidates, including 211 women, are in the fray. There will be nearly 82,028 polling booths across the state. Farmer's suicide, floods, drought, security, power shortage and price rise are some of the issues that have been addressed by the political parties. The state machinery is making final preparations to ensure a safe polling day. The Maharashtra Government has already declared a public holiday on the polling day. The labour commissionerate has formed 28 special squads to keep an eye on offices, and employers failing to comply with the order. A control room will also be set up in the labour commissionerate which will be manned by two assistant labour commissioners and two labour officers to receive complaints from voters. In Arunachal Pradesh, with state assembly election just one day left, the state election machinery is taking up all measures to ensure peaceful polling. Election for 57 assembly seats will be held in 2005 polling booths throughout the state. Interestingly, two polling stations, Mrambo in Anini constituency and Upper Mudoi Deep under Bordumsa-Diyun constituency has only three voters each. In Itanagar and Capital Complex constituencies, the administration has given the nod to police to use force and issue firing order on persons who try to disrupt the poll process. State DGP Vimla told AIR that all security arrangement are in place for the peaceful conduct of the polls. Adequate security personnel have also been deployed in vulnerable areas including Tirap and Changlang districts which have witnessed militant violence in the past. Checking at border gates near Assam and Nagaland has been heightened and the gates will be sealed tomorrow to check entry of bogus voters and miscreants. Patrolling has also been beefed up in the state.<br/>