New Delhi, December 29
Punjab will go to the polls on February 13, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) N. Gopalaswami said here today. Manipur would have a three-phase poll while Uttaranchal would exercise its franchise on a single day.
The counting of votes for all three states would take place on February 27. Announcing the poll schedule, he said the model code of conduct came into force with immediate effect.
He was flanked by Election Commissioners Navin B. Chawla and S.Y. Quraishi.
The CEC said byelection to the Amritsar parliamentary constituency would be held along with the assembly poll.
While Punjab has 117 seats (29 reserved for SC), Manipur has 60 seats (19 for SC and one for ST) and Uttaranchal has 70 seats (12 for SC and 3 for ST).
Mr Gopalaswami said the final publication of electoral rolls in Punjab and Manipur would be done on January 3 while in Uttaranchal it would be on January 1.
The CEC said the notification for Punjab poll would be issued on January 18 and the last date for filing nominations was January 25.
Scrutiny would take place on January 27 and the last date for withdrawal of candidature was January 29.
Uttaranchal would have elections on February 21, where the notification would be issued on January 25.
Strife-torn Manipur would go to the polls in three phases on February 8, 15 and 23.
Polling would be held in 19 assembly segments in the first phase, 29 in the second and 12 segments in the third.
Identification of voters at polling booths at the time of polling would be mandatory.
Photo identity card coverage was 46 per cent in Manipur, 77 per cent in Punjab and 75 per cent in Uttaranchal.
No election official or police official of the rank of sub-inspector and above would continue in his home district.
The state governments had been asked to transfer all officers against whom the commission had recommended disciplinary action or who had been charged with lapse during previous elections or for related work.
The commission had also instructed the state governments concerned not to associate any officer with the electoral process against whom charges ha been framed in a court of law.
There would be auxiliary polling stations in the same building for booths where the electorate exceeded 1500.
