Thiruvananthapuram | Keralam will hold bypolls to 38 local body wards on September 28, with the election notification to be issued on 3 September, the State Election Commission said on Tuesday.

Candidates can file nominations from September 3 to 10, while scrutiny will be held on September 11, according to an official statement.

The last date for withdrawal of candidature is September 14, it said.

Polling will be held from 7 am to 6 pm on September 28 and counting of votes will begin at 10 am on September 29, the statement further said.

The model code of conduct came into force on Tuesday (September 1) and it will apply to all wards of gram panchayats falling within the district and block panchayat constituencies where the bypolls are being held.

In gram panchayats, the code will apply to the entire panchayat area, while in municipalities it will be applicable to the respective wards, it said.

The bypolls will be held based on the electoral rolls published on August 19. The updated rolls are available at the respective local bodies, village and taluk offices and on the State Election Commission's website.

The election process will be completed by October 1, while candidates have to submit their election expenditure accounts by October 29, the statement said.

The bypolls will cover two corporation wards in Ernakulam and Kozhikode, three municipality wards in Thrissur, Palakkad and Kannur, three district panchayat wards in Thiruvananthapuram, Kottayam and Palakkad, seven block panchayat wards and 23 gram panchayat wards across 12 districts.

There will be no bypolls in Kollam and Alappuzha districts, the statement added.