KUALA LUMPUR: The Election Commission (EC) has set August 12 as the voting day for the state elections involving six states, namely Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Penang, Kedah, Kelantan, and Terengganu.

Meanwhile, nomination and early voting dates have been set for 29 July and 8 August respectively.

Announcing the key dates, EC chairman Tan Sri Abdul Ghani Salleh said more than 9.7 million eligible voters would exercise their responsibilities in the polls in the six states concerned.

"For the purpose of conducting the state polls, the EC has set important dates as follows:

"Writ issue date on July 5; nomination day July 29; early voting on August 8 and polling day on August 12," he said in at conference at Menara SPR, here, on Wednesday.

Earlier, Abdul Ghani chaired the EC Special Meeting to determine the important dates for the state elections after the commission received the official dissolution notice of the six state state assemblies.

Selangor officially dissolved the state assembly on June 23 to make way for the state polls.

Meanwhile, Kelantan dissolved the state assembly on June 22; Terengganu, Penang and Kedah on June 28; while Negeri Sembilan on July 1.

A total of 245 state assembly seats in six states will be contested in the upcoming elections.