Meghalaya's Ranikor Assembly by-election schedule announced

The Election Commission will use EVMs and VVPATs in the by-elections in all the polling stations in Ranikor.

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Ranikor (Scheduled Tribe) Assembly constituency in Meghalaya will have the by-election on August 23, 2018 while the counting of votes and declaration of result will take place four days later on August 27. The Ranikor seat had fallen vacant after sitting MLAs MM Danggo resigned from the Congress. Dangoo will contest against from Ranikor as the National People's Party (NPP) candidate.

The Commission, after taking into consideration various factors like local festivals, electoral rolls and weather conditions, announced the by-election schedule as follows:

Date of Issue of Gazette Notification

30.07.2018 (Monday)

Last Date of Nominations

06.08.2018 (Monday)

Date for Scrutiny of Nominations

07.08.2018 (Tuesday)

Last Date for Withdrawal of candidatures

09.08.2018 (Thursday)

Date of Poll

23.08.2018 (Thursday)

Date of Counting

27.08.2018 (Monday)

Date before which election shall be completed

29.08.2018 (Wednesday)

The commission has decided to use EVMs and VVPATs in the by-elections in all the polling stations. Adequate numbers of EVMs and VVPATs have been made available for the constituency and all steps have been taken to ensure that the polls are conducted smoothly using the machines.

The commission has decided, as in the past, that a valid document to prove the voter’s identification shall be mandatory to vote. Electoral Photo Identity Cards (EPIC) shall be the main document for identification.

However, if the voter’s name figures in the Electoral Rolls but unable to produce the EPIC, a set of additional documents for identification will be announced separately in due course so that no voter is deprived of her or his franchise.

The Model Code of Conduct shall come into force with immediate effect in the district(s) in which the whole or any part of the Assembly Constituency going for by-election is included, subject to the partial modification as issued vide Commission’s instruction No. 437/6/INST2016-CCS, dated June 29, 2017 (available on the Commission’s website).

The Model Code of Conduct shall be applicable to all candidates, political parties and the state government concerned. It shall also be applicable to the Union Government for the district of the state concerned.