EC tweaks Assam assembly polls schedule

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The Election Commission today tweaked the date of filing nominations for the second phase of assembly elections in Assam as it was clashing with the biennial polls to two Rajya Sabha seats in the state.
Congress in Assam earlier today urged the Commission to reschedule the March 21 Rajya Sabha elections citing the issue. The nomination process of assembly polls in the state begins next month.
"On the due consideration of the matter, the Commission has decided to slightly modify some of the dates for the second phase of the general election to the Legislative Assembly of Assam whereby there is a change in the date of notification, last date of making nomination and date of scrutiny," the EC said in a statement.

Now, instead of March 14, the notification for phase 2 will be issued on March 15 and the last date of filing nominations would be March 22 instead of March 21. The last date of withdrawing nominations will remain the same -- March 26 and the poll will be held as announced on April 11.
Earlier in the day, in a memorandum submitted to the Commission, the state unit of Congress said March 21 is the last date of withdrawing nominations for the first phase of assembly elections on April 4 and the last date of filing of nominations for the second phase of polls on April 11.

Biennial elections to 13 Rajya Sabha seats in six states, including Assam and Kerala, will be held on March 21. 12 of the 13 seats are falling vacant in April.

In Assam, both the seats falling vacant belong to Congress.
Rajya Sabha members are elected by the elected members of the Legislative Assembly in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote.
The party said since MLAs would be busy with electioneering and nomination process, they would find it difficult to reach Dispur to cast their votes for the Rajya Sabha polls.