The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday issued the official notification for the bye-polls to three Assembly constituencies in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat and three vacant Rajya Sabha seats from Bengal, which fell vacant following the recent resignations of three senior members of the Upper House - Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, Sushmita Dev, and Prakash Chik Baraik. The voting for assembly seats is scheduled for July 30 and July 24 for Rajya Sabha seats.

Process In Bihar, Gujarat, MP

The process of filing nominations will continue until July 13. Scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on July 14, while candidates will be allowed to withdraw their nominations until July 16. Polling will be conducted on July 30, and the entire election process is scheduled to be completed by August 4.

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Among the three Assembly constituencies going to the polls, two seats -- Bankipur in Bihar and Manjalpur in Gujarat -- were previously represented by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), while the Datia Assembly constituency in Madhya Pradesh was held by the Congress.

The Bankipur Assembly seat fell vacant after BJP leader Nitin Nabin resigned as an MLA following his election to the Rajya Sabha in April. Nabin was appointed the party's national president in January.

The Manjalpur Assembly constituency became vacant after the death of BJP MLA Yogeshbhai Narandas Patel in June.

The Datia Assembly seat fell vacant after Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti was disqualified following his conviction in a bank scam case. The results will be announced on August 3.

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Meanwhile, the ECI had said Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) units would be used at all polling stations.

It also reiterated that the Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC) would remain the primary document for voter identification, while Aadhaar, passports, driving licences, PAN cards, MGNREGA job cards and several other government-issued identity documents would also be accepted for voting.

The Model Code of Conduct came into force immediately in these districts covering the three Assembly constituencies following the announcement of the election schedule.

Process In Bengal

To fill the vacant Rajya Sabha seats, the ECI has decided to conduct voting from 9 am to 4 pm on July 24, and counting of votes from 5 pm on the same day. The entire election process will formally begin with the issuance of the notification on July 7.

(With Agency Inputs)