Cash-for-query scam: EC announces schedule for byelections

New Delhi, Feb 6 (UNI) Announcing the election schedule to fill up vacancies caused by the expulsion of 10 Lok Sabha MPs after they were caught in "cash for query" scam in December 2005, the Election Commission today said byelections for three parliamentary seats -- Robertsganj (SC), Mirzapur and Bilhour -- of Uttar Pradesh would be held alongwith forthcoming general election to the Assembly in the state.

As per the schedule, the Commission fixed March 3 for polling for Lok Sabha byelections in Madhya Pradesh to Gwalior and Sidhi (ST), and for Udayapura assembly seat. The EC fixed March 14 for completion of election process. The last date for filing of nominations will be February 19, and last date for withdrawal of nominations February 20.

For assembly election from Tuensang Sadar constituency of Nagaland, polling will be held on March 8, while the Commission fixed February 19 as the last date for receipt of nominations.

The Commission, which will be issuing formal notification for the election on February 12, also decided to hold byelections for filling up two Lok Sabha seats and one Assembly seat in Madhya Pradesh and one Assembly seat each in Bihar and Nagaland.

For the Islampur assembly seat in Bihar, polling will be held on March 11, the Commission said. The Model code of conduct in Bihar came into effect from today.

The Commission however decided to defer byelections in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Maharashtra in view of the secondary and senior examinations. It said these would be held after the examinations were over. The constituencies to which byelections were to be held were Rajnandgaon (Chhattisgarh), Palamu (Jharkhand) and Erandol and Jalgaon in Maharashtra.

UNI