Dehradun: As per the schedule announced by election commission of India on Tuesday, the by-elections for Kedarnath Assembly seat in Uttarakhand will be held on November 20 and counting of votes will take place three days later on 23 November.
The Kedarnath assembly seat was lying vacant following the death of MLA Shaila Rawat in July after a prolonged illness. Rawat won the seat on a BJP ticket in the 2022 assembly polls and had previously represented the seat in 2012 as a Congress MLA. The Kedarnath assembly seat is part of the Pauri Garhwal Lok Sabha constituency, which is currently held by the BJP.
Last date for filing nominations set for October 29
Additional Chief Election Officer Vijay Kumar Jogdande announced that the notification for the by-poll will be issued on October 22, with the last date for filing nominations set for October 29. Scrutiny of nominations will occur on October 30, and the final date for withdrawal is November 4. Counting will take place on November 23. The model code of conduct is now in effect in the district and will remain until November 25, he added.
Crucial test for both the ruling BJP and the main opposition Congress
The Kedarnath seat is set to be a crucial test for both the ruling BJP and the main opposition Congress. In the last assembly by-polls, the BJP lost both the Mangalore and Badrinath seats, where Congress achieved a significant victory. Welcoming the announcement of the by-poll date, Pradesh BJP president and Rajya Sabha MP Mahendra Bhatt expressed confidence that the BJP would win the seat with a record number of votes, citing the historic work done in the constituency by the double-engine government. “BJP will replicate its outstanding poll performances in Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir in Kedarnath. Just as in Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir, people here will also see through the Congress’ lies,” he said.
