EC announces Datia Assembly bypoll schedule; voting on July 30
text_fields
Datia: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday issued the notification for the by-election to Madhya Pradesh's Datia Assembly constituency, setting the stage for a closely watched contest between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition Congress.
According to the election schedule, nominations will be accepted from July 6 to July 13. Scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on July 14, while the last date for withdrawal of nominations is July 16.
Polling will be held on July 30, and the counting of votes will take place on August 3.
The by-election became necessary after the Datia Assembly seat fell vacant following the disqualification of Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti.
Bharti's Assembly membership was terminated after he was convicted in a criminal case, resulting in his disqualification under the provisions of the Representation of the People Act.
The Datia bypoll holds political significance as the constituency was represented for several years by former Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra, one of the BJP's senior leaders.
In the 2023 Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections, Mishra suffered a major setback when Congress candidate Rajendra Bharti defeated him by 7,742 votes, ending the BJP leader's long winning streak in the constituency.
"The Election Commission has issued the notification for the bye-election to the Datia Assembly constituency. The nomination process will commence on July 6, polling will be held on July 30, and counting of votes will take place on August 3," the Commission said in the notification.
Political activity in the constituency is expected to intensify in the coming days, with both the BJP and the Congress likely to announce their candidates soon.
While the BJP will be aiming to reclaim one of its traditional strongholds, the Congress will seek to retain the seat despite Bharti's disqualification.
The bypoll will be closely watched as it is expected to provide an indication of the organisational strength and electoral preparedness of both parties in the Gwalior-Chambal region ahead of future political contests in Madhya Pradesh.
With IANS inputs