By-elections for Bellary, Kannauj likely in Feb 8212; EC

NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 30: Elections to four state Assemblies and by-elections for the Bellary and Kannauj Lok Sabha seats are likely to be h...

NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 30: Elections to four state Assemblies and by-elections for the Bellary and Kannauj Lok Sabha seats are likely to be held by the end of February.

By-elections to 31 Assembly seats in 11 states will also be held at the same time, Chief Election Commissioner M S Gill told journalists following a review by the full Commission of the poll preparedness of different states.

Assembly elections in Bihar are due to be completed by April 9, while polls are due in Orissa and Manipur by March-end. Haryana, where the Assembly was dissolved a few months before its term expired, has also opted to have its polls along with the three other states.

Elections in these four states have to be completed by March 31 so that the newly-elected Assemblies can resort to a vote on account for meeting the financial needs of the states till their annual budgets are passed.

The Bellary seat in Karnataka fell vacant after Congress President Sonia Gandhi gave up the seat, while deciding to keep the Amethi Lok Sabha seat. Similarly, Samajwadi Party supremo, Mulayam Singh Yadav, who contested two seats in the recent general elections has decided to vacate the Kannauj seat.

The Commission also considered the conclusions of the report prepared by Deputy Election Commissioner Sayan Chatterjee after an extensive tour of the cyclone-hit districts of Orissa and Bihar.

Setting at rest speculation about the Assembly polls in Orissa being delayed, Gill said 8220;at the moment, there are no indications to the contrary8221;. The CEC was replying to queries about the ground situation in the aftermath of the cyclone and the possibility of conducting polls.

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The EC, he said, was 8220;conscious8221; of its constitutional duty to hold elections in good time when the term of the Assembly in a state is ending. 8220;We are in the process of planning and doing that,8221; he said.

The Commission meeting also dwelt at length on the security arrangements and deployment of central forces in Naxalite-hit areas of Bihar and insurgency-affected parts of Manipur.