Bypolls to 8 Assembly Seats on April 9 & 23; Counting on May 4
Election Commission announces bypoll schedule for constituencies across five states
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 15th March: The Election Commission of India on Sunday announced the schedule for by-elections to eight Assembly constituencies across five states. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said the bypolls will be conducted in two phases on April 9 and April 23, while the counting of votes will take place on May 4.
Addressing a press conference, Kumar stated that the by-elections are being held due to the demise of the sitting MLAs in the respective constituencies. The polling process will cover constituencies in Goa, Karnataka, Nagaland, Tripura, Gujarat and Maharashtra.
According to the schedule released by the Election Commission of India, polling for five constituencies will be held on April 9. These include Ponda in Goa, Bagalkot and Davnagere South in Karnataka, Koridang in Nagaland and Dharmanagar in Tripura.
Polling for the remaining three constituencies will take place on April 23. These include Umreth in Gujarat and Rahuri and Baramati in Maharashtra.
The counting of votes for all eight constituencies will be carried out simultaneously on May 4, the Chief Election Commissioner said. The Commission has directed election authorities in the concerned states to ensure that all arrangements for free and fair polling are in place.
Election officials added that the Model Code of Conduct will come into force in the respective constituencies with immediate effect following the announcement of the poll schedule.
The by-elections are expected to witness keen political contests as major political parties prepare to field their candidates. These constituencies hold local political significance and the results may influence regional political equations in the respective states.
Further details regarding nomination dates, scrutiny and withdrawal of candidates will be issued by the Commission in the detailed election notification.
