ECI announces bypolls for Bankipur, Datia, Manjalpur on July 30
New Delhi, July 2
The Election Commission of India on Thursday announced the schedule for bypolls to three Assembly Constituencies in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat, which includes the high-profile seats of Bankipur, Datia, and Manjalpur.
According to an official press release issued by the Election Commission, the poll body has decided to hold by-polls to fill vacancies in the following constituencies:
The vacancies in these three states were necessitated by distinct legislative developments.
In Bihar, the by-polls for the 182-Bankipur Assembly Constituency were called following the resignation of Nitin Nabin.
In Madhya Pradesh, the vacancy in the 22-Datia Assembly Constituency arose due to the disqualification of Rajendra Bharti.
Meanwhile, in Gujarat, the poll for the 145-Manjalpur Assembly Constituency is being held to fill the seat left vacant following the unfortunate demise of the sitting MLA, Yogeshbhai Narandas Patel.
As per the official schedule released by the poll body, the Gazette Notification for the bye-elections will be issued on July 6 (Monday), marking the commencement of the nomination process.
The last date for filing nominations has been fixed as July 13 (Monday), with the scrutiny of the nomination papers scheduled to take place on July 14 (Tuesday).
Candidates will have until July 16 (Thursday) to withdraw their candidatures. The polling for the three assembly seats in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat will be conducted on July 30 (Thursday), while the counting of votes is slated for August 3 (Monday).
The Election Commission further stated that the entire election process shall be completed by August 4 (Tuesday).
The Commission has decided to use EVMs and VVPATs in the bye-election in all the polling stations. Adequate numbers of EVMs and VVPATs have been made available, and all steps have been taken to ensure that the poll is conducted smoothly with the help of these machines.
— ANI
Reader Comments
July 30, that's during the monsoon season. Hope the EC has made proper arrangements for voters in rural areas of Datia and Bankipur. Last time in Bihar, many booths had no shelter from rain. Basic infrastructure matters for democracy!
RIP Yogeshbhai Patel 🙏 Manjalpur will miss him. These bypolls are important but let's not forget it's because someone passed away. Hope the next MLA works for the people of Vadodara like he did.
Why do we always have to wait weeks for bypolls? The seat in Datia has been vacant since May after the disqualification. People in that constituency have no representation for months. EC should expedite such processes.
Interesting to see how the regional dynamics play out—Bihar's Bankipur is an NDA stronghold, MP's Datia is in BJP's heartland, and Gujarat's Manjalpur is a Congress-held seat. Could be a bellwether for the next general elections.
Another bypoll during COVID? At least this time EC is using EVMs and VVPATs properly. But I hope they ensure social distancing at polling stations in all three states. Don't want a spike in cases because of voting. 😷
K We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.