By-polls to 7 assembly constituencies in 6 states on November 3: Election Commission

Byelections to seven assembly seats across six states will be held on November 3, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced today. Results will be declared on November 6.

The seven seats where by-polls will be held are Andheri East in Maharashtra, Mokama and Gopalganj in Bihar, Adampur in Haryana, Munugode in Telangana, Gola Gokrannath in Uttar Pradesh, and Dhamnagar in Odisha.

Gazette notification for these elections will be issued on October 7 and the model code of conduct will also come into effect immediately, the ECI said. The deadline for filing nominations is October 14. Scrutiny of nominations will be done on October 15 and the last date for withdrawal of candidature is October 17.

Votes will be counted on November 6.ECI said Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) will be used for these elections. "Adequate numbers of EVMs and VVPATs (voter-verified paper audit trail) have been made available and all steps have been taken to ensure that the polls are conducted smoothly with the help of these machines," Sanjeev Kumar Prasad, Secretary, ECI, said in a statement.

According to the ECI, Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC) or Voter Card will be the primary document for the identity verification of a voter. However, other official identification documents, such as Aadhar Card, PAN Card and Driving Licence, will also be accepted.