Election Commission notifies new by-poll dates for Jharkhand Assembly seat

NEW DELHI: The Election Commission (EC) today announced fresh dates for holding by-polls in Lohardaga Assembly seat of Jharkhand which fell vacant in June this year.

According to an EC notification, polling in the reserved seat (Scheduled Tribe) will take place on December 14 and the counting of votes will be held December 17.

The seat fell vacant after sitting MLA, Kamal Kishore Bhagat of AJSU party lost his membership after being convicted and jailed in an attempt to murder case in June.

The by-election on this seat was earlier scheduled to be held on November 21 but was deferred by the poll panel on the request of Jharkhand polling authorities in view of Panchayat elections in the state.

The EC notification said the poll process for the seat will begin with the formal issuance of the gazette notification on November 19 and the Model Code of Conduct in the Assembly constituency has been enforced with immediate effect.

The entire election process in the Lohardaga seat will be completed before December 19, the notification said.