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EC announces dates for bypoll elections in Malappuram and Kanniyakumari

Last Updated 26 February 2021, 23:00 IST

The Election Commission on Friday announced the schedule of the bypolls in Malappuram and Kanniyakumari parliamentary constituencies in Kerala and Tamil Nadu respectively.

The schedule of the bye-election in Belgaum parliamentary constituency in Karnataka is also likely to be announced soon – in order to fill the Lok Sabha vacancy created that was created when Suresh Angadi, Minister of State for Railways, died of Covid-19 in September 2020.

The polling for the bye-elections in both the Lok Sabha constituencies would be held on April 6 along with the assembly elections in the two States. The votes will be counted on on May 2.

The bypoll in Kanniyakumari in Tamil Nadu was necessitated after the death of the Congress MP H Vasanthakumar due to Covid-19 in August 2020. The bye-election in Malappuram in Kerala will be held to fill the vacancy created following resignation of Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leader K Kunhalikutty.

Arora, who will complete his tenure as the Chief Election Commissioner on April 13, said that the EC would appoint two special police observers for West Bengal and could also send another if required. He justified the decision to hold polling in the state in eight phases. “After all the elections to West Bengal (assembly) in 2016 was in seven phases. The Lok Sabha was in seven phases. So, seven to eight (phases) is not such a big deal, because we also have to see the movement of forces, we also have to see the current charges and counter-charges (by political parties),” he said.

The commission will also deploy two special expenditure observers in Tamil Nadu to ensure that polling in the “expenditure sensitive” state could take place without any misuse of money power by the politicians.

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(Published 26 February 2021, 23:00 IST)

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