New Delhi:

Following requests from several political parties, the Election Commission of India has changed the polling date for by-elections in 14 Assembly constituencies across Kerala, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. The polling, which was earlier scheduled for November 13, will now be held on November 20. Votes will be counted on November 23.

Sources in the poll panel said multiple political parties had requested for a change in the polling date, citing festivals such as Kalpathi Rastholsavam (November 13-15), Kartik Purnima (November 15) and Prakash Parv of Sri Guru Nanak Dev (November 15). The parties had said these festivals may impact voter turnout in these states.

Nine Assembly constituents in Uttar Pradesh, four in Punjab and one in Kerala are voting in these bypolls. A total of 48 Assembly seats and 2 Parliamentary constituencies across 15 states will be voting in these by-elections that are being held alongside the Assembly polls in Maharashtra and Jharkhand.

The poll panel said national and state parties have made representations for the change of polling date “considering large-scale social, cultural and religious engagements on that day which may cause inconvenience to large number of people, give rise to various logistic issues and may lead to reduced voter participation during the poll”.

In the past too, the Election Commission has changed polling dates when they coincided with festivals to ensure voters’ convenience and higher turnouts, a sources from the poll panel said. 

The Election Commission clarified that the date of counting of votes in these seats remains unchanged — November 23.

Kerala’s Palakkad and Punjab’s Dera Baba Nanak, Chabbewal, Gidderbaha and Barnala will vote in the upcoming bypolls. Assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh where bypolls are due include Meerapur, Kundarki, Ghaziabad, Khair, Karhal, Sishamau, Phulpur, Katehari, Majhawan.

Most of these bypolls are being held after the sitting MLAs contested and won Lok Sabha election and must now vacate the Assembly seats they hold. Besides the Assembly seats, two vacant Lok Sabha seats — Nanded and Wayanad — will also vote in this round of bypolls.