Lucknow/Jaipur: The nomination process for bypolls to 47 seats across 13 states concluded on Friday. The opposition INDIA bloc faces a significant challenge against the BJP, while Congress deals with alliance issues.
Voting is set for November 13 in nine seats in Uttar Pradesh, seven in Rajasthan, six in West Bengal, five in Assam, four each in Bihar and Punjab, three in Karnataka, two each in Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, and Sikkim, and one each in Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, and Meghalaya. A bypoll will also occur in the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat on the same day, PTI reported.
Most vacancies arose because the sitting MLAs were elected as MPs, while others are due to the deaths of representatives.
The INDIA bloc struggled to unite in the recent Haryana assembly elections, allowing the BJP to win easily, and it has yet to reach a seat-sharing agreement for the Uttar Pradesh bypolls.
The Samajwadi Party will contest all nine seats, while Congress has chosen to step back, although it plans to conduct "joint campaigns" with its ally.
In Uttar Pradesh, bypolls will occur in Katehari, Karhal, Meerapur, Kundarki, Phulpur, Sisamau, Ghaziabad, Majhawan, and Kahir.
Eight of these seats became vacant after their MLAs were elected to the Lok Sabha, while the Sisamau bypoll is due to the disqualification of SP MLA Irfan Solanki after a criminal conviction.
The BJP has left the Meerapur seat in Muzaffarnagar for its ally RLD, putting candidates in the other eight seats, which appears to slight its other ally, the Nishad Party, that previously claimed two seats: Majhawan in Mirzapur and Katehari in Ambedkarnagar.
However, Nishad Party chief Sanjay Nishad minimized this issue, stating he prioritizes NDA's victory over securing "seats."
Candidates from the SP include Tej Pratap Yadav (Karhal), Naseem Solanki (Sisamau), Mustafa Siddiqui (Phulpur), Shobhawati Verma (Katehari), Jyodi Bind (Majhwan), Sumbul Rana (Meerapur), Mohammad Rizwan (Kundarki), Sigh Raj Jatav (Ghaziabad), and Charu Kain (Khair).
BJP candidates are Ramvir Singh Thakur (Kundarki), Sanjeev Sharma (Ghaziabad), Surendra Diler (Khair), Anujesh Yadav (Karhal), Deepak Patel (Phulpur), Dharmraj Nishad (Katehari), Suchismita Maurya (Majhawan), and Suresh Awasthi (Sisamau). The RLD has nominated Mithilesh Pal from Meerapur.
In Karnataka, JD(S) leader Nikhil Kumaraswamy filed his nomination for Channapatna, a seat vacated by his father and Union minister H D Kumaraswamy after his Lok Sabha election. Bypolls will also be held in Shiggaon and Sandur after Basavaraj Bommai (BJP) and E Tukaram (Congress) resigned post-Lok Sabha victories.
In Punjab, BJP candidate Sohan Singh Thandal and Congress nominee Jatinder Kaur have filed nominations for the Dera Baba Nanak, Chabbewal (SC), Gidderbaha, and Barnala seats.
A total of 38 candidates have submitted nominations for five seats in Assam: Dholai, Behali, Samaguri, Bongaigaon, and Sidli. The BJP is contesting three seats, leaving the other two for alliance partners AGP and UPPL, while Congress is contesting all five.
Rajasthan will see bypolls in Jhunjhunu, Dausa, Deoli-Uniara, Khinvsar, Chaurasi, Salumbar, and Ramgarh.
West Bengal will hold bypolls in Sitai (SC), Madarihat (ST), Naihati, Haroa, Medinipur, and Taldangra.
Other seats going to bypolls include Ramgarh, Tarari, Imamganj, and Belaganj in Bihar, Budhni and Vijaypur in Madhya Pradesh, Soreng-Chakhung and Namchi-Singhithang in Sikkim, Palakkad and Chelakkara in Kerala, Vav in Gujarat, Raipur City South in Chhattisgarh, and Gambegre (ST) in Meghalaya.
The Wayanad seat was vacated by Rahul Gandhi, who retained the Rae Bareli parliamentary constituency. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will contest the Wayanad bypoll. Additionally, bypolls for the Kedarnath assembly seat in Uttarakhand and the Nanded Lok Sabha seat in Maharashtra are scheduled for November 20.
Bypolls are also planned for the Basirhat parliamentary seat in West Bengal and the Milkipur assembly seat in Uttar Pradesh, although they have not been officially announced due to pending election petitions for both seats.