New Delhi: The date of by-elections in UP, Punjab and Kerala has changed. Now these elections will be held on November 20. Earlier these elections were to be held on November 13.

Why was the decision taken?

Due to various festivals, by-elections in assembly constituencies in Kerala, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh have been rescheduled to November 20 instead of November 13. Actually this decision has been taken on the request of Congress, BJP, BSP, RLD and other national and state parties.

The Election Commission has taken this decision to rule out any possibility of low voter turnout due to various festivals. In such a situation, it is clear that now the by-elections in UP, Punjab and Kerala will be held on November 20 instead of November 13.

What did the Election Commission announce earlier?

When the Election Commission announced the dates for the Maharashtra and Jharkhand assembly elections, it also announced the dates for the by-elections. Elections will be held in Maharashtra on November 20 and the counting of votes will take place on November 23. Elections will be held in Maharashtra in a single phase. Voting will take place in Jharkhand on November 13 and 20 and the results will be declared on November 23. Elections will be held in two phases in Jharkhand.

By-elections were to be held on the seats of Kerala, Punjab and UP on November 13 but now these elections will be held on November 20.

However, the by-election on the Milkipur seat of Ayodhya was stopped. The reason for this was stated to be an election petition. After losing the 2022 assembly elections, former MLA Gorakhnath Baba had filed a petition regarding the victory of SP candidate Awadhesh Prasad, due to which the by-election on this seat was stopped. 

Overall, the Election Commission has changed the dates so that the voting percentage is not affected and people do not shy away from voting due to the festivals.