Himachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Tripura and Meghalaya will go to polls on February 26 and the votes will be counted on March 1, Chief Election Commissioner J M Lyngdoh said in New Delhi on Saturday.

By-elections in Pampore [Jammu and Kashmir], Poriyahat [Jharkhand], Humnabad [Karnataka], Bhokarden [Maharashtra], Sattankulam [Tamil Nadu] and Gauri Ganj and Haidargarh [Uttar Pradesh] will also be held on February 26, he said.

Polling in three constituencies of Himachal Pradesh -- Lahaul and Spiti, Phagi and Barhmaur -- will be held in June, as these places will be snow-bound in February, Lyngdoh said.

The notification for the polls will be issued on January 31.

The last date for filing nominations will be February 7 and scrutiny will take place the next day. The last day for withdrawal of candidature will be February 10, he said.

"The model code of conduct comes into immediate effect from today -- January 11, 2003. This will be applicable to all political parties and to the state and Union governments," the CEC added.

He said electronic voting machines will be used in all constituencies. "We have enough machines. Training programme is going on at full pace."

Asked if he expected any violence in Nagaland during the polls in view of the ongoing talks between the Centre and the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah), Lyngdoh replied in the negetive.

He said reports of manipulation of the electoral rolls in Nagaland were found to be baseless.

The CEC said the polling dates were decided after consulting the Union home ministry and the chief secretaries and directors-general of the concerned states. "We have asked the Centre for adequate number of paramilitary forces to conduct the polls," he added.

He said a team from the Election Commission will visit the Northeast states next week to take stock of the situation. A decision regarding disarming special police officers in Tripura will be taken after that, he added.