Ahmedabad/Anand, March 23 (IANS) The Gujarat unit of the Congress party has begun the process of selecting candidates for the forthcoming bye-election to the Umreth Assembly constituency, with party-appointed observers set to hear prospective candidates, party leaders confirmed on Monday.
In a letter issued on Sunday, the party said the bye-election will be held on April 23 and that the exercise to shortlist candidates is being undertaken as per the instructions of state president Amit Chavda.
“Interested candidates seeking to contest the bye-election would be heard by appointed observers in Umreth at 11:00 A.M. on March 24,” the letter mentioned.
The observers named by the party are Natvarsinh Mahida, former MLA Chandanji Thakor, Vajirkhan Pathan, and Jagat Shukla.
The process is intended to assess prospective candidates before a final decision is taken.
The bypoll to the Umreth seat in Anand district was announced earlier this month following the death of sitting BJP MLA Govind Parmar, which rendered the seat vacant.
The poll is scheduled for April 23, with counting to follow on May 4 as per the Election Commission’s schedule.
Officials have said that more than 2.4 lakh voters are registered in the constituency, and polling will be conducted across over 300 polling stations using electronic voting machines with VVPAT units.
Administrative preparations, including the appointment of nodal officers and training of polling personnel, are already underway in line with Election Commission guidelines.
Preparations are also underway for public facilities in all Assembly constituencies where bye-elections are scheduled.
The Umreth Assembly constituency is one of the 182 seats in the state Legislative Assembly.
It is an unreserved seat and forms part of the Anand Lok Sabha constituency. The constituency comprises areas of Umreth taluka and parts of Anand taluka, including several villages and urban segments.
In the 2022 state Assembly election, Parmar won the seat with a margin of over 26,000 votes.
–IANS
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