The Election Commission of India has announced the dates for bye-elections to fill vacancies in 13 assembly constituencies across seven states. The elections will be conducted on July 10, with the counting of votes scheduled for July 13.
The bye-elections will be held for one seat each in Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, and Madhya Pradesh, two seats in Uttarakhand, three seats in Himachal Pradesh, and four seats in West Bengal.
Candidates can file their nominations until June 21, with the last date for withdrawal of candidature being June 26. These seats became vacant due to resignations or the deaths of the sitting MLAs.
The seats of Rupauli, Amarwara (ST), Jalandhar West (SC), Badrinath, Dehra, Nalagarh, Hamirpur, Raiganj, Ranaghat Dakshin (SC), and Bagda fell vacant due to the resignations of the respective MLAs, while the seats of Vikravandi, Maniktala, and Manglaur became vacant due to the deaths of the respective MLAs.
The Commission has decided to use EVMs (Electronic Voting Machines) and VVPATs (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail) in the bye-elections at all polling stations. An adequate number of EVMs and VVPATs have been made available, and all steps have been taken to ensure the polls are conducted smoothly.
Punjab’s Chief Electoral Officer, Sibin C, informed the public that voting will be held on July 10 for the Jalandhar West (SC) bye-election. The Election Commission of India has released the election schedule, with notifications to be issued on June 14. The last date for filing nominations is June 21, and nominations will be scrutinized on June 24. The last date for withdrawal of nomination papers is June 26.
“Voting will be held on July 10, and the results will be announced on July 13 after the counting of votes,” Sibin C said. He added that the model code of conduct (MCC) has been in force in the Jalandhar West Constituency since June 10 and will remain effective until the election process is completed by July 15. The Jalandhar West seat fell vacant following the resignation of MLA Sheetal Angural.
(Inputs: ANI)
