EC sets May 8 date for bypoll in Rae Bareli

The Election Commission today announced the poll schedule for Rae Bareli parliamentary polls in Uttar Pradesh and Deeg Assembly polls in Rajasthan. Polling will take place on May 8 and counting will be held on May 11.

According to the schedule, the notification would be issued on April 13 and the last date for filing of nomination papers is April 20. Scrutiny of the nomination papers would take place the following day, while the last date for withdrawal of nomination papers is April 24. With this, the EC underlined that the Model Code of Conduct had come into force with immediate effect.

Rae Bareli seat had fallen vacant after Sonia Gandhi resigned on March 23 in the wake of the office-of-profit row. She will be contest in the bypoll.

The SC today directed the EC not to hold bypolls till July to 10 seats, fallen vacant following MP8217;s expulsion in the cash-for-query scam. In response, the EC said it had decided to go ahead with the bypoll to the Rae Bareli and Deeg seats.