The nomination and polling dates for the Batang Ai state seat in Sarawak will be known on March 4.

The Election Commission will hold a special meeting next Wednesday to discuss the date for the by-election following the death of state assemblyperson Dublin Unting Inggot yesterday.

Bernama reported that the EC has received the notice on the vacancy of the Batang Ai state seat this morning.

Sarawak EC director Takun Sunggah was quoted as saying that the notice, signed by Sarawak state assembly speaker Mohd Asfia Awang Nassar, was faxed to the EC headquarters in Putrajaya this morning.

batang air state seat 240209 Unting, 53, who was Sarawak sports and agriculture assistant minister, died at the Normah Specialist Medical Centre at 1.25am yesterday after suffering a stroke on May 22 last year.

A vice-president of Parti Rakyat Sarawak, Unting was serving his second term as an assistant minister.

In the May 2006 state election, Unting defeated Nicholas Bawin Anggat of Sarawak National Party by 806 votes.

Bawin has since joined PKR and is the party's state deputy chief.

Batang Ai is a remote rural constituency in south of Sarawak close to the Indonesia's West Kalimantan border. It is about 200km east of state capital Kuching.