By-elections for 1 Lok Sabha constituency, 64 Assembly seats to be held on October 21

New Delhi: By-elections to Samastipur Lok Sabha constituency in Bihar and 64 Assembly constituencies across 17 states and Puducherry Union Territory, including the seats held by disqualified MLAs in Karnataka and 11 seats in Uttar Pradesh, will be held on October 21.

Counting of votes in the by-elections will be taken up on October 24 along with the votes cast in Assembly elections of Maharashtra and Haryana, Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora announced at a media conference giving the schedule for the elections.

Assembly by-elections are to be held in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Kerala, Odisha, Meghalaya, Madhya Pradesh, Sikkim, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Pudducherry and Himachal Pradesh will be held on October 21, said Arora.

Among the 64 Assembly constituencies, there are four in Assam, five in Bihar, four in Gujarat, two in Himachal Pradesh, 15 in Karnataka, five in Kerala, four in Punjab, two in Rajasthan, three in Sikkim, two in Tamil Nadu, 11 in Uttar Pradesh and one each in Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Meghalaya, Pudducherry and Telangana.

The disqualified MLAs of Karnataka have approached the Supreme Court challenging the Speaker's decision to disqualify them. 

The date of issue of notification will be September 23, last date of nominations will be September 30, date for scrutiny of nominations on October 1 and the last date for withdrawal of candidatures on October 3.

Arora said the Model Code of conduct shall come into force with immediate effect in the districts in which the whole or any part of the Parliamentary and Assembly constituency going for election is included.