The Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced bypolls to two vacant Assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu, along with seats in Puducherry and West Bengal and a Lok Sabha constituency in Assam.
Polling will be held on October 6, and counting will take place on October 9.
In Tamil Nadu, the bypolls will be conducted in Dharapuram (SC) and Madurantakam (SC). The two seats fell vacant after AIADMK MLAs P Sathyabama and Maragatham Kumaravel resigned on May 25 and later joined the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).
Both were among the 25 AIADMK MLAs who supported the TVK government during the May 13 confidence motion.
According to the ECI schedule, the nomination process for the bypolls will begin on September 9 and close on September 16. Scrutiny of nominations will be held on September 17, while candidates can withdraw their nominations until September 19. The election process is scheduled to be completed by October 11.
The ECI has also announced a bypoll for the Thattanchavady Assembly constituency in Puducherry, with voting on October 6.
What about the other five Tamil Nadu seats?
Tamil Nadu currently has seven vacant Assembly constituencies, but bypolls have been announced for only two. The remaining five are Tiruchirappalli East, Perundurai, Ambasamudram, Viralimalai and Karur.
No bypoll date has been announced for these five constituencies. The Madras High Court had restrained the ECI from notifying elections to these seats because election petitions challenging the original election results are still pending.
The court extended its interim order until September 8, and the matter is scheduled for hearing on that date. The ECI had earlier told the court that it would not announce bypolls in these constituencies until the pending election cases are decided.
Among these five seats is Tiruchirappalli East, which Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay vacated after he retained his other Assembly constituency. The other four seats were vacated by AIADMK MLAs who subsequently joined the TVK.
The outcome of the announced bypolls could be politically significant for the ruling TVK, which does not currently have a majority in the Assembly on its own.
However, the timing of elections to the remaining five seats will depend on the outcome of the pending court proceedings and any subsequent decision by the ECI.
