With the Rajya Sabha Secretary-General already appointed as the Returning Officer for the 2012 Presidential election, the Election Commission is likely to announce the schedule in the second week of June for the poll to be held in the third week of July.
The term of President Pratibha Patil ends on July 24.
Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi might announce the schedule as he is demitting office on June 10 and the poll will be conducted by Election Commissioner V.S. Sampath, who is all set to assume charge as the new CEC. Mr. Sampath will also have the responsibility of holding the poll for the post of Vice-President as Hamid Ansari will demit office on August 10. This poll is likely in the first week of August.
Sources said that as per the EC rules, there should be a gap of 33 days between the issue of notification and the date of poll (both days inclusive).
There is no model code of conduct. The Commission had already made it clear that though the MPs and MLAs, who are the electors, could abstain from voting, the political parties could not issue a whip. For the Vice-President poll, only the MPs can vote.
