Bypolls to Srinagar and Anantnag lok Sabha seats will be held on April 9 and 12 respectively and by-election to the Tamil Nadu Assembly from the RK Nagar constituency will be held on April 12.
The RK Nagar seat was held by the late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. Jayalalithaa died after prolonged hospitalisation on December 5, 2016, necessitating the by-election. The Election Commission on Thursday announced the schedule for by-elections to three parliamentary and 12 Assembly constituencies.
Nomination papers will be allowed to be filed between March 16 and March 23. The last date for withdrawal of the nominations is March 27. Counting of votes will be taken up on April 15 after poling on April 12. The Model Code of Conduct comes into force with immediate effect in the entire Chennai district, in which RK Nagar seat is situated.
Among the 12 Assembly seats for which bypoll will be held is Delhi’s Rajouri Garden. It fell vacant after Jarnail Singh of AAP decided to contest the Punjab assembly polls held last month. The by-election for the seat is on April 9.
The by-election to the Malapuram lok Sabha seat in Kerala will also be held on April 12. Anantnag seat fell vacant in June last after CM Mehbooba Mufti won the Assembly polls and resigned from the lok Sabha. The Srinagar lok Sabha seat was vacated by former PDP leader Tariq Hamid Karra who had resigned in protest against alleged “brutalities” on Kashmir protesters.
Geelani calls for boycott
Srinagar: Hours after the EC announced schedule for bypolls to two lS seats in Kashmir, hardline Hurriyat Conference leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani asked people to boycott the elections. “The sacrifices made by the youth of Kashmir should be protected by the entire nation and not traded for petty vested interests,” Geelani said.