SHILLONG/ NEW DELHI: Meghalaya does not figure in the bypoll schedule announced by the Election Commission of India on Sunday.
The Commission announced bypoll to one Assembly seat each in Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Kerala to be held on September 23 and the counting will be held on September 27.
Bypolls will be held for Dantewada (Chhattisgarh), Pala (Kerala), Badharghat (Tripura) and Hamirpur (Uttar Pradesh) Assembly seats but no mention was made about Meghalaya.
Bypolls to 12 other Assembly seats in UP are also due as most of the sitting MLAs won the Lok Sabha elections this year. But the dates are yet to be announced by the poll panel and it is likely that Meghalaya bypoll will be announced along with Uttar Pradesh.
Dantewada, Pala and Badharghat bypolls were necessitated following the death of the respective sitting MLAs.
An election official said there is still time for the bypoll in Shella as the sitting legislator Donkupar Roy expired only on July 28.
“If the by-election is held on September 23 there will be less time for the preparations”, the official added.
The Shella bypoll can be held anytime within six months with the state having time till January.
Speaking to reporters, Chief Electoral Officer Frederick Kharkongor said after getting information that there is vacancy in Shella, the state election commission has intimated the matter to the Election Commission of India as per rule.
“Technically, we have time till January. There is no certainty at what time it will be held, but it will be held within the January time frame,” he said.
Sources said the Shella bypoll may be held after the puja celebrations in October.
Shella has 58 polling stations including many border polling booths with over 30,000 voters.
Shella is one of the constituencies where, in order to reach the Kalatek polling station, one has to travel by boat. Kalatek has 700 voters.
With the state having faced bypolls and Lok Sabha polls, he said, “We are always prepared and will send some of the staff for training. The existing electoral roll will be utilised.”
