Lucknow: Examinations in Uttar Pradesh's Islamic seminaries, or madrassas, have been shifted by more than three months and rescheduled for June in view of the February elections.

The announcement came a day after the timetable of the annual Uttar Pradesh Board exams for Class 10 and 12 was put off by a fortnight.

The Madarsa Education Board Exams for the Munshi, Maulwi, Aalim, Faazil and Kaamil would now be held in May.

A Madarsa Education Board official said the staggered assembly elections of February and the state school exams were main reasons for the postponement.

Uttar Pradesh will elect a new assembly from Feb 4 to 28. During this period, all madrassas, like other educational institutions, would be made polling stations and its teachers deployed on election duty.

The Madarsa Education Board was formed in 2007 by the Mayawati government to strengthen the educational infrastructure for the minorities in the state. IANS