GG News Bureau
Chandigarh, 15th Oct. The Election Commission of India (ECI) announced on Tuesday that by-elections for four assembly seats in Punjab—Dera Baba Nanak, Chabbewal (SC), Gidderbaha, and Barnala—will take place on November 13. Counting of the votes is scheduled for November 23, according to Punjab Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sibin C.
These seats became vacant after the respective MLAs were elected to the Lok Sabha. Congress MLA Amrinder Singh Raja Warring from Gidderbaha won a parliamentary seat in Ludhiana, while Raj Kumar Chabbewal, also from Congress, who later joined AAP, became MP from Hoshiarpur. Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa (Congress) from Dera Baba Nanak was elected from Gurdaspur, and Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer (AAP) from Barnala became MP for Sangrur.
The notification for the by-elections will be issued on October 18, with the last date for filing nominations set for October 25. Scrutiny of nomination papers will occur on October 28, and candidates may withdraw their nominations by October 30. The election code of conduct is now in effect in Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Sri Muktsar Sahib, and Barnala, remaining in force until November 25.
As of October 10, the total number of voters in the four constituencies is 696,316, distributed across 831 polling stations. The Dera Baba Nanak seat has 193,268 electors with 241 polling stations, while Chabbewal (SC) has 159,254 voters at 205 polling stations. Gidderbaha’s voter count stands at 166,489 with 173 polling stations, and Barnala has 177,305 voters with 212 polling stations.
District election officers (DEOs) have been appointed for the constituencies: Gurdaspur Deputy Commissioner Uma Shankar Gupta for Dera Baba Nanak, Hoshiarpur DC Komal Mittal for Chabbewal (SC), Muktsar DC Rajesh Tripathi for Gidderbaha, and Barnala DC Poonamdeep Kaur for Barnala. Additionally, returning officers have been designated for each constituency to oversee the electoral process.
