New Delhi: The bye-elections commenced on Tuesday at 7 a.m., enveloping seven pivotal assembly constituencies across six Indian states, including Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Kerala, Tripura, West Bengal, and Jharkhand. This marks the inaugural electoral face-off between the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the recently constituted Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), representing the opposition coalition.
The constituencies witnessing this electoral fervour encompass Kerala’s Puthupally, Dhupguri situated in West Bengal’s Jalpaiguri district, Dumri in Jharkhand, Uttarakhand’s Bageshwar, in addition to Boxanagar and Dhanpur in Tripura. The Election Commission is slated to unveil the poll results on Friday, September 8.
This wave of bye-elections was primarily triggered by the demise of incumbent MLAs in five states and resignations tendered by two other legislative assembly members. Specifically, in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghosi, the bye-election became necessary following Dara Singh Chauhan’s transition from the Samajwadi Party (SP) to the BJP, paving the way for a re-election bid against SP’s Sudhakar Singh.
In Tripura, the Dhanpur constituency opened up following BJP’s Pratima Bhoumik vacating her assembly seat to retain her Lok Sabha position. Subsequently, a face-off between Bhoumik’s sibling Bindu Debnath representing BJP and CPI-M’s Kaushik Chanda is anticipated. Concurrently, Tripura’s Boxanagar is gearing up for a vigorous contest between the BJP and CPI (M) following the death of the former representative, Samsul Haque of CPI (MK).
Meanwhile, Uttarakhand’s Bageshwar is bracing for a three-cornered battle involving SP, Congress, and BJP, instigated by the demise of BJP’s Chandan Ram Dass. In Kerala’s Puthupally, the political landscape shifted with the passing of Congress stalwart Oomen Chandy, facilitating his son Chandy Oomen to vie for the seat against CPI (M) candidate Jaick C. Thomas.
Furthermore, Jharkhand’s Dumri constituency is witnessing a new electoral battle precipitated by the death of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) MLA Jagarnath Mahto. The JMM has nominated Mahto’s spouse, Bebi Devi, as their candidate, who is slated to compete against NDA’s Yashoda Devu and AIMIM representative Abdul Rizvi.
Lastly, West Bengal’s Dhupguri is staging a significant electoral contest necessitated by BJP MLA Bishnu Pada Ray’s death, with the BJP entrusting Tapas Ray to secure the seat against challenges from Nirma Chandra Roy and CPI (M)’s Ishwar Chandra Roy. This series of bye-elections not only marks a crucial juncture in Indian politics but also sets the stage for future alliances and potential power shifts in the respective states.