Bengaluru: The notification for the by-polls to 15 Assembly  segments in the State will be issued tomorrow.

Announcing this at a press conference here this noon,  State Election Commissioner Sanjiv Kumar said that the by-polls will be held for 15 Assembly segments — Hunsur, K.R. Pet, Chikkaballapur, Athani, Gokak, Vijayanagar-Hospet,Hirekerur, Hosakote, Ranebennur, Shivajinagar, Mahalakshmi Layout, K.R. Puram, Yeshwantpur, Yellapur and Kagawad on Dec. 5  and the counting of votes will take place on Dec. 9.

The by-polls were necessitated following the disqualification of 17 rebel Congress and JD(S) Legislators by the then Assembly Speaker K.R. Ramesh Kumar in July this year. However, the by-poll to Maski and R.R. Nagar Assembly segments will not be held now as election petitions are pending in the Court, it is learnt.

Sanjiv Kumar said that the nomination process will begin tomorrow and the last date for the filing of nomination papers is Nov. 18. The deadline for withdrawal of nomination papers is Nov. 21 and the polling will take place on Dec. 5. 

The counting of votes will be taken up on Dec. 9, he said and added that the candidates who had filed their nominations following the announcement of the earlier by-poll schedule in September, need not file fresh nomination now.

He further said that the latest M3  EVMs will be used for the first time  and the Election Commission will be making elaborate security arrangements for a free and fair poll and added that the Model Code of Conduct will come into effect from tomorrow.