EC releases schedule for one more by-poll for UP upper house

New Delhi: The Election Commission on Tuesday declared that polling in one more by-election to the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council will be held on September 18, three days after voting to fill four vacancies for which it had declared the dates last week.

The additional bypoll was necessitated after Bahujan Samaj Party member Thakur Jaiveer Singh resigned from the seat and his party last month and joined the ruling BJP.

"The commission has decided to hold one more by-elections to the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council by members of state Legislative Assembly to fill up the vacancy created by resignation of Thakur Jaiveer Singh," the commission said in a statement.

The notification for the by-poll will be issued on Thursday, August 31, the last date of filing nominations is September 7, the scrutiny of the nominations would be done the next day and the last date of withdrawal of candidature is September 11.

Polling will be held on September 18 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Counting of votes will be done on the same day starting at 5 p.m., said an Under Secretary with the poll panel. 

The poll process will be completed before September 20. 

On August 24, the Election Commission released the schedule for the by-polls for four vacancies in the state`s upper house. It on Tuesday released the notification for the polls that will be held on September 15.

While no names have yet been declared by any party for the by-polls, speculation is rife that the bypolls would be used to send Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma and Ministers Swatantra Dev Singh Mohsin Raza to the assembly, a constitutional obligation they have to fulfil within six months of assuming office.