Gandhinagar/Anand, April 9 (IANS) The by-election to Gujarat’s Umreth Assembly seat will see a six-cornered contest after the deadline for withdrawal of nominations ended on Thursday, with election authorities confirming the final list of candidates.

According to officials, six candidates remain in the fray for the constituency after scrutiny and withdrawals were completed on April 9, the final date under the Election Commission’s schedule.

The candidates include Bhrugurajsinh Chauhan of the Congress, Harshad Parmar of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Maulik Shah of the Bharatiya National Janta Dal, and three Independents — Jiteshkumar Sevak, Nirupa Madhu and Mahendra Parmar.

Officials said that all valid nominations were retained after the withdrawal deadline ended and that symbols had been allotted to each of the contesting candidates in accordance with the Commission’s guidelines.

The by-election to the constituency, located in Anand district, is scheduled to be held on April 23, with counting of votes set for May 4.

The official notification for the poll was issued on March 30, and nominations were accepted until April 6, followed by scrutiny on April 7 and the withdrawal deadline on April 9.

The Umreth seat is one of the 182 constituencies in the state Legislative Assembly and forms part of the Anand Lok Sabha segment as well.

The bypoll was necessitated following the death of sitting BJP MLA Govind Parmar, who had represented the constituency.

Polling will be conducted using electronic voting machines, with arrangements being made by district authorities to ensure the smooth conduct of the election.

The constituency has a significant electorate and has historically witnessed contests primarily between the BJP and Congress, with changing electoral patterns over the years.

The Model Code of Conduct came into force after the announcement of the by-election schedule, and election authorities have initiated preparations to ensure a free and fair poll.

–IANS

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