News In Brief

Voting for Indian Parliament to give Gandhi an early test

Parliamentary elections will be held Dec. 24 and 27, officials announced Tuesday, setting the stage for Rajiv Gandhi's first nationwide political test since he succeeded his assassinated mother, Indira Gandhi, as prime minister.

The commission said there would no voting in two states, Punjab and Assam, where there has been widespread unrest in recent months. The decision means the two states would be unrepresented in the new Parliament.