By-elections for the Firozabad Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh and in 31 Assembly constituencies in seven States will be held on November 7. The model code has come into immediate effect. The poll notification will be issued on October 14 and counting of votes will be taken up on November 10, the Election Commission announced on Monday.
The Lok Sabha by-election is necessitated by the resignation of Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh’s son Akhilesh Yadav as he won from both the Firozabad and Kannauj seats in the general elections. Later he retained Kannauj. The SP has already announced that Dimple Yadav, wife of Mr. Akhilesh, will be its candidate. The Congress is likely to field actor-politician Raj Babbar, who lost the Fatehpur Sikri seat to the Bahujan Samaj Party by a narrow margin in the recent Lok Sabha elections.
October 21 is the last date for filing nominations and the next day the papers will be scrutinised. The last date of withdrawals is October 24 and the poll process will come to an end by November 16. The Assembly by-elections will be held for one seat in Chhattisgarh; two each in Assam, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan; three in Kerala; 10 in West Bengal and 11 in Uttar Pradesh.
The constituencies are: Assam – Salmara South and Dhekiajuli; Himachal Pradesh – Rohru and Jawali; Kerala – Kannur, Alappuzha and Ernakulam; Rajasthan – Salumber and Todabhim (both ST); Uttar Pradesh – Powayan (SC), Lucknow West, Padrouna, Rari, Isauli, Jhansi, Kolasala, Hainsar Bazar, Lalitpur, Etawah and Bharthana; Chhattisgarh –Vaishali Nagar; and West Bengal – Kalchini (ST), Rajganj (SC), Sujapur, Goalpokhar, Bongaon, Contai South, Egra, Serampore, Alipore and Belgachia East.
