New Delhi: Assembly elections in Gujarat will be held on December 12. Announcing the poll schedule, chief election commissioner (CEC) J M Lyngdoh said that the counting of votes would begin on December 15 and the entire poll process will be completed by December 20.

A notification for holding polls will be issued on November 18 and the last date for filing of nominations will be November 25, Lyngdoh told reporters.

The scrutiny will take place on November 26 and the last date for withdrawal of nominations will be November 28.

The model code of conduct will come into force from October 28, Lyngdoh said.

Byelections to three Lok Sabha constituencies, one each in Uttaranchal, Jharkhand and Gujarat, would also be held on December 12, the CEC said.

As many as 400 companies of para-military forces have been requisitioned for smooth conduct of Assembly elections, he said.

The total electorate in Gujarat is 3.28 crore, Lyngdoh said. In addition to this, nearly four lakh people were not found to be residing at the place where their names were earlier registered, he said.

Out of this four lakh, 1.76 lakh wanted to vote and had been identified, Lyngdoh said.

As many as 35,052 polling stations would be set up for the one-day poll, he said.

Electronic voting machines (EVMs) would be used in all the constituencies, the CEC said, adding that 45,000 EVMs would be shifted from Uttar Pradesh.

The voting will take place between 08:00 hours (IST) to 17:00 hours (IST).

PTI