NEW DELHI: The Election Commission will meet on Friday to discuss the timing of assembly elections in Telangana, including the possibility of clubbing it with state elections due this year-end.With the six-month window for the EC to have the newly-elected Telangana assembly in place ending on March 5, 2019, there is a high likelihood that elections in the southern state may be held along with Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Mizoram. The terms of assemblies in the four states are due to end between December 15, 2018, and January 20, 2019.The commission is expected to announce polls in the four states in October-end or early November.An EC functionary said the poll panel would on Friday assess the availability of EVMs and VVPATs, state of electoral rolls and other preparations before taking a decision on the Telangana poll schedule. Sources said around 40,000 machines were needed to conduct elections across the state’s 25,000 polling booths.The 2019 draft roll for Telangana was finalised on September 1, and the final roll is due for publication on January 4, 2019. However, were the assembly polls to be timed in December, the 2018 voters’ list would suffice.In case EC decides to club the Telangana polls with the four other states, it may have to redraw the security forces deployment plan and put the state poll machinery in an overdrive to ensure timely preparations.