Section 57: Notification of Election Programme

57. Notification of Election Programed.— 2[(1) Subject to the Constitution, the Commission shall by notification in the official Gazette announce the date or dates, as the case may be, of the general elections.] (2) Within seven days of the announcement under sub-section (1), the Commission shall, by notification in the official Gazette and by publication on its website, call upon the voters of the notified Assembly constituencies to elect their representatives in accordance with an Election Programme, which shall stipulate— (a) the last date for making nominations, which shall be the sixth day after the date of publication of the notification or, if that day is a public holiday, the next succeeding day which is not a public holiday; (b) the last date for publication of names of the nominated candidates, which shall be day following the last date of filing of nomination papers; (c) the last date for the scrutiny of nominations, which shall be the eighth day immediately following the last date for making nominations or, if that day is a public holiday, the next succeeding day which is not a public holiday; (d) the last date for filing of appeals against acceptance or rejection of nominations, which shall be the fourth day following the last date for the scrutiny of nominations or, if that day is a public holiday, the next succeeding day which is not a public holiday; (e) the last date for decision of appeals, which shall be the seventh day following the last date for filing of appeals or, if that day is a public holiday, the next succeeding day which is not a public holiday; (f) the last date for publication of the revised list of candidates, which shall be the day following the last date for decision of appeals; (g) the last date for the withdrawal of candidature, which shall be the day following the last date of publication of revised list of candidates or, if that day is a public holiday, the next succeeding day which is not a public holiday; (h) the date for allocation of symbols to contesting candidates and publication of list of contesting candidates, which shall be the day following the last date for withdrawal of candidature or, if that day is a public holiday, the next succeeding day which is not a public holiday; and (i) the date or dates on which a poll shall, if necessary, be taken, which or the first of which shall be a date not earlier than the twenty eighth day after the publication of the revised list of candidates. (3) A Returning Officer shall 1[* * *] give public notice of the dates specified by the Commission in respect of the constituency or constituencies of which he is the Returning Officer; and shall publish the public notice at some prominent place or places within the constituency to which it relates. (4) A Returning Officer shall, by the public notice given under sub-section (3), invite nominations specifying the time by which and the place at which nomination papers shall be received by him.

Effective date: 2017-10-02

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