Bhubaneswar : The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday announced fresh schedule for the Pipli bypoll, which was deferred due to second wave of Covid-19.
The long-pending bypoll to Pipili Assembly Constituency in Odisha will be held on September 30 and the vote counting will take place on October 3.
The last date of nomination will be September 13, and candidates will be able to withdraw their names till September 16.
Besides, the EC has decided to hold the bye-election to Bhabanipur Assembly Constituency in West Bengal on Sept 30.
The ECI had postponed the by-poll, which was earlier scheduled to be held on May 16, after taking note of the lockdown due to rise in cases of Covid-19 in Odisha.
The by-poll election to the Pipili assembly constituency was necessitated following the death of sitting MLA Pradeep Maharathy in October last year and then was scheduled to be held on April 17.
Later, it was withdrawn following the death of Congress candidate Ajit Mangaraj due to Covid-19, just three days ahead of the polls on April 14, 2021.
The model code of conduct will come into effect from today and the respective political parties can candidates can start campaigning from September 20, 2021.
The ECI has also instructed to ensure that all the appropriate Covid-19 norms should be 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.
