Model Code of Conduct comes into immediate effect
From Our Special Correspondent
New Delhi: Meghalaya and Nagaland will go to polls on February 23 while people in Tripura will cast their votes on February 14, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced here on Friday, ending days of speculations.
The model Code of Conduct would, however, come into effect immediately and the Commission will keep a strict vigil on any violation of the Code, the ECI informed.
Addressing a hurriedly called press conference here, Chief Election Commissioner VS Sampath informed that counting will take place in all the three states simultaneously on February 28 and the entire poll process in all these states will be completed by March 3.
The term of the three assemblies is expiring in March.
Notification for the Tripura Assembly election will be announced on January 21 while the same will be announced for Meghalaya and Nagaland on January 30.
In case of Meghalaya and Nagaland, nomination will be allowed till February 6; the scrutiny of nominations will take place the next day (Feb 7) and the last date for withdrawal of nominations is February 9.
In Tripura, scrutiny of nominations will take place on January 29 while January 31 has been fixed as the last day for withdrawal.
Polling will begin in the three states at 7 am and end at 4 pm.
Besides, the ECI also announced the dates for bye-elections to nine Assembly seats in seven states including one in Assam (Algapur) and one in Mizoram (Chalfilh) which will be held on February 23 and 24 while counting for all the nine seats will take place on February 28.
Despite the model Code of Conduct being implemented with immediate effect, the ECI has kept the Budget, Economic Survey and President’s address to the joint session of Parliament, outside the purview of the Code.
For the Assembly polls, photo voter I-cards have been issued to all the voters but other modes of identity will also be accepted, the ECI added.
“The Commission will deploy general observers in adequate number to ensure smooth conduct of elections and appoint adequate number of expenditure observers and assistant expenditure observers to exclusively monitor election expenditure of contesting candidates,” the CEC said.
