Chief Election Commissioner J M Lyngdoh's last meeting before he demits office on February 7 will be on Wednesday.

The Election Commission has convened a meeting of chief electoral officers of all states and Union Territories on February 4 to review preparations for an early general election.

The progress in revision of electoral rolls, issue of photo identity cards, requirement of polling staff and electronic voting machines will be discussesed in the meeting, to be presided over by Lyngdoh.

CEC-designate T S Krishna Murthy and his colleague B B Tandon will also address state poll officials.

Before finalising the schedule, the commission will have a discussion with Union Home Secretary K Gopalswami on the issue of deployment of central paramilitary forces. Gopalswami will join the commission the day Lyngdoh retires.

The government has already decided to dissolve the 13th Lok Sabha on February 6. The House's term was to end on October 19, 2004.

Commission sources had earlier hinted at the possibility of holding the poll by mid-April as it did not want to interfere with the annual school examinations, which are likely to continue till the end of March or early April.

Similarly, the commission is said to be of the opinion that electoral rolls should be "reasonably perfect" before the formal election process is set in motion.

Currently, electoral rolls are being revised in all the states except Andhra Pradesh, where the final rolls are ready.