Vellore Lok Sabha Election 2019 in Tamil Nadu on August 5, Patkura Assembly Bypoll 2019 in Odisha on July 20, Announces EC
The EC said the date of polling for the Vellore Parliamentary constituency of Tamil Nadu is August 5, 2019 while the by-poll for the Patkura Assembly constituency of Odisha is scheduled to be held on July 20, 2019.
New Delhi, July 4: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday announced the dates of polling for the Vellore Parliamentary constituency of Tamil Nadu and Patkura Assembly constituency of Odisha. The Election Commission said the date of polling for the Vellore Parliamentary constituency of Tamil Nadu is August 5, 2019 while the by-poll for the Patkura Assembly constituency of Odisha is scheduled to be held on July 20, 2019.
Why Were Polls Cancelled in Vellore
The Lok Sabha polls for the Vellore constituency was cancelled following recovery of huge amount of cash allegedly from a DMK candidate’s office. The polling in Vellore was scheduled on April 18. The poll body took the decision f cancelling the polls in Vellore after the district police had filed a complaint against the accused, Kathir Anand, as well as two party functionaries on the basis of a report from the Income Tax department on April 10. Vellore Lok Sabha Elections Cancelled After Cash Seizures From DMK Candidate's Office.
The Income Tax Department on March 30, had conducted searches at the residence of Anand’s father Durai Murugan over suspected use of unaccounted money for electioneering, and seized Rs 10.50 lakh in alleged “excess” cash. Two days later, they claimed to have seized Rs 11.53 crore from a cement godown belonging to a DMK leader’s associate in the same district.
Why Were Polls Cancelled in Patkura
Polling for Patkura Assembly constituency in coastal Kendrapara district of Odisha was cancelled due to the devastation caused by cyclone ‘Fani’ in the state. The ECI had fixed May 19 as the date of polls for Patkura assembly seat of Odisha. Surendra Kumar, Odisha’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) said, “In view of the serious devastation caused by cyclone Fani, ECI has decided to extend the completion of the elections from Patkura assembly constituency for 60 days". Kumar added that the date of the poll will be be suitably decided after assessing local situation.
The Lok Sabha polls 2019 were held in seven phases from April 11 to May 19, 2019 to constitute the 17th Lok Sabha. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance won 353 seats. The votes were counted and result was declared on 23 May. About 900 million people were eligible to vote and turnout was over 67 per cent – the highest ever as well as the highest participation by women voters. While 22 states and Union Territories saw single-phase polling in the polls, the states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal saw polling in all seven phases.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 04, 2019 02:00 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).