(1) When the seat of a member elected to the Panchayat or Municipality becomes vacant or is declared vacant or his election to the Panchayat or Municipality as the case may be, is declared void, the Election Commission shall subject to the provisions of sub-section (2), by a notification in the Official Gazette, call upon the concerned Panchayat or Municipality to elect a person for the purpose of filling the vacancy so caused before such date as may be specified in the notification, and the provisions of this Act and of the rules and orders made thereunder shall apply, as far as may be, in relation to the election of a member to fill such vacancy.
(2) If the vacancy so caused be a vacancy in a seat reserved in any such constituency for the Scheduled Castes, Backward Classes or the Women, as the case may be, the notification issued under sub-section (1), shall specify that the person to fill that vacancy shall belong to the category of persons to which the vacancy relates.
CHAPTER X THE POLL
57. The Election Commission shall fix the hours during which the poll will be taken; and the hours so fixed shall be published in such manner, as may be prescribed:
Provided that the total period allotted on any one day for polling at an election, shall not be less than eight hours.