The important by-election to the 28 assembly seats in Madhya Pradesh is likely to be postponed beyond October as the Election Commission did not announce the dates of MP by-polls while proclaiming the schedule for Bihar polls on Friday. This has left the two loyalists of BJP leader Jyotiraditya Scindia in anxiety as their destiny hangs tied on a thin thread.

State ministers Tulsi Silawat and Govind Singh Rajput could miss their ministerial piers as it seems uncertain that they will be elected to the assembly seats before October 21^st, the final day of their six-month cycle of being ministers without being an assembly member. Silawat is the water resources minister, while Rajput is the minister of revenue and transport in the current MP government.

Both leaders jumped wagon into the BJP from Congress following the steps of Scindia in March, resulting in the collapse of the 15-month old government led by Kamal Nath.

Shivraj Singh Chouhan, after taking oath as the CM in March, carried out his first cabinet expansion on April 21^st and enlisted Silawat and Rajput, along with three BJP leaders Narrotam Mishra, Kamal Patel and Meena Singh.

According to the statutes, both Silawat and Rajput should be elected to the assembly before October 21^st as they had taken oath on April 21^st. Any minister, who is not an MLA or MLC, should become either of it before the completion of six months since taking oath as a minister.

The six-month interval will end on October 21^st for both Silawat and Rajput, and if elections are not organized and concluded by then, they have to quit.

With the Election Commission not announcing the dates for the by-polls, it looks tough to finalize the election process, including filing of nomination, scrutiny, polling and the proclamation of the result, before twenty first of October.

Under section 30 of the Representation of The People Act (RPA) 1951, a least of 25 days is expected to finalize the election process after the declaration of the polls date.

Trusted sources in the EC stated that the dates for the by-polls are expected to be declared at the end of this month and the election process will be finalized in November.

Veteran election law expert S.K. Mehrendatta had recently commented that it is necessary to give candidates equal time for campaigning, nomination and scrutiny of nominations, then only polling takes place, as defined and outlined under the RPA Act. He further added that one cannot rush the election process.

Former Secretary General of Lok Sabha P.D.T. Acharya in reference to the provisions laid out in the constitution had said that under Article 164(1) of the Constitution, a non-legislator can occupy a post in the council of minister only for six months. If he is not elected (within that stipulated time), the Constitution says that he ceases to be a minister.

It remains to be seen what pans out in terms of destiny for Silawat and Rajput under the given circumstances.