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The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday announced the date for the conduct of by- election for the Pipli assembly constituency which was earlier deferred due to the Covid-19 pandemic situation.
As per the fresh notification, the by-poll in the constituency on the outskirts of the State capital city Bhubaneswar will be held on September 30.
The Election Commission of India has stated that counting of votes will be held on October 3, 2021. The Commission has also directed the concerned authorities to complete the election process by October 5, 2021.
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The ECI had postponed the by-poll, which was earlier scheduled to be held on May 16, after taking note of the lockdown and other restrictions under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, as issued by NDMA/SDMA.
Apart from Odisha, the bypolls to three vacant seats in West Bengal Assembly will also be conducted on September 30.
On September 1, the ECI had convened a meeting with the Chief Secretaries, senior officers from the department of Health, Home Affairs and DGPs of Odisha and West Bengal to assess the feasibility of holding bye-elections in both the States. The Chief Secretary of Odisha informed that the Covid-19 situation is under control and poll can be held. Similarly, the Chief Secretary West Bengal also opined that COVID-19 situation is fully under control. He also brought to the notice of the Commission that the flood situation in the state has not affected the poll bound assembly constituencies and the state is fully prepared to hold elections, the ECI said in a release.
The by-election to the Pipili assembly constituency was necessitated following the death of sitting MLA Pradeep Maharathy in October last year. Initially, the by-election was scheduled to be held on April 17. It was countermanded following the death of Congress candidate Ajit Mangaraj due to Covid-19, just three days ahead of the polls on April 14, 2021.
10 candidates in fray for #PipiliBypoll, including BJP's Asrit Pattanayak, Congress' Bishwokeshan Harichandan Mohapatra, BJD's Rudra Pratap Maharathy & 3 independent candidates #Odisha
— OTV (@otvnews) September 4, 2021
As per the ECI notification, the model code of conduct will come into effect from today and the respecttive political parties can candidates can start campaigning from Sepptember 20, 2021. The silence period is 72 hours before the end of the poll.
The ECI has also instructed to ensure that all the appropriate Covid-19 norms are strictly followed. The number star campaigners will be restricted to 20 for the national and state recognised parties and 10 for unrecognised registered parties in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.
During door-to-door campaigning, not more than 5 persons will be allowed with the concerned candidates, as per the guidelines issued by the ECI.
#PipiliBypoll on Sept 30
— OTV (@otvnews) September 4, 2021
- model code of conduct comes into force from today
- political campaigns from Sept 20
- star campaigners' list to be limited to 20
- no roadshows, bike or cycle rallies
- during door-to-door campaign, not more than 5 persons to be present with candidates
