Tehri Garhwal, Jangipur bypolls on October 10

The Election Commission on Wednesday announced by-elections from Tehri Garhwal in Uttarakhand and Jangipur in West Bengal. The polls will be held on October 10 and counting of votes will be on October 13.

The notification will be issued on September 15 and the last date for filing nomination is September 22. The last date for withdrawal of candidature is September 26. 

The by-poll from Tehri Garhwal is necessitated due to the resignation of Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Baghuguna, who represented it in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, following his appointment as Chief Minister.

The Jangipur seat was vacated by President Pranab Mukherjee following his elevation to Rashtrapati Bhavan.

the hindu

'PM should be elected directly'

Lucknow, Jan 30 (IANS) Direct elections should be held for the prime minister's post, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank said Sunday.

Speaking at the regional seminar on electoral reforms sponsored jointly by the Election Commission of India and the union law ministry, Nishank said: 'I am firmly of the view that unless one enjoys the confidence of the people of the country, he should not have the privilege to become the nation's prime minister.'

'That is possible only if the people have the right to directly elect their prime minister.'

Nishank urged the Election Commission to devise some measure that may give an instant confirmation on the electronic voting machine (EVM) that the cast vote was successfully added to the candidate for whom it was intended.

He demanded strong preventive and penal measures to debar the candidates contesting and campaigning during criminal detentions, and demanded enforcing minimum educational qualification as one of the eligibility norms.

Nishank also stressed the need for making voting compulsory