Campaigning for second phase of polls ends in UP, polling on 26 April
Two Bollywood stars -- Hema Malini from Mathura and Arun Govil from Meerut -- will try their electoral fortunes in this phase.
By-elections to the Lok Sabha seats of Gorakhpur and Phulpur in Uttar Pradesh and Araira in Bihar will be held on 11 March the Election Commission announced on Friday, 9 February.
Polling will also be held in the Jehanabad and Bhabua Assembly constituencies of Bihar the same day. The poll panel said the vote count will take place on 14 March.
The elections in the Uttar Pradesh Lok Sabha seats were necessitated after Gorakhpur MP Yogi Adityanath became the Chief Minister while Phulpur MP Kehsav Prasad Maurya was appointed his deputy.
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Adityanath has represented Gorakhpur five times in the Lok Sabha from 1998. BJP insiders say Bhojpuri actor Ravi Kishan is keen on contesting from Gorakhpur.
The Araria seat fell vacant after the death of Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Mohammad Taslimuddin in September 2017.
The Jehanabad and Bhabhua constituencies fell vacant due to the death of BJP MLA Anand Bhushan Pandey (Bhabhua) and RJD MLA Mundrika Singh Yadav.
The BJP MLA passed away in November. Yadav, a former state Health Minister, succumbed to dengue a month earlier.
The Election Commission said the last date for filing nominations for all five seats is 20 February and the last date for withdrawal of candidature is 23 February.
The model code of conduct will come into effect in the concerned districts with immediate effect.
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