Assembly Bypolls in Gujarat, Kerala, Punjab, and Bengal Scheduled for June 19: Election Commission
The Election Commission of India on Saturday announced by-elections for five assembly constituencies across four states — Gujarat, Kerala, Punjab, and West Bengal. The polling will take place on June 19, and the counting of votes will be conducted on June 23.
The constituencies set to go for bypolls are Kadi and Visavadar in Gujarat, Nilambur in Kerala, Ludhiana West in Punjab, and Kaliganj in West Bengal. With the announcement, the Model Code of Conduct has been enforced in all five regions.
The Election Commission stated that the by-elections were necessitated due to vacancies arising from resignations, deaths, or disqualifications of sitting MLAs. While the specific causes for each seat’s vacancy were not disclosed in the official statement, such bypolls are typically triggered under Article 190 of the Constitution.
The Commission confirmed that all polling stations will be equipped with Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs) to ensure transparency and reliability of the electoral process.
“Adequate numbers of EVMs and VVPATs have been made available for the smooth conduct of the elections,” the EC noted in a press release.
With immediate effect, the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) has come into operation in all five constituencies. This means government officials, political leaders, and parties must strictly adhere to electoral norms, including restrictions on campaign conduct, advertisements, and use of government machinery.
Election observers are likely to be deployed to monitor MCC violations and oversee the integrity of the polling process.
