By-elections for 13 assembly seats across seven states have begun. Bihar, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, and Himachal Pradesh witnessed voting on the 10th of July.
In Himachal Pradesh, a notable turnout of over 71% was seen, with the Nalagarh constituency recording an impressive 78% voter participation. Similarly, Tamil Nadu's Vikravandi constituency reported a remarkable 77.73% turnout by 5 PM. Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh's Amarwada seat observed a participation rate of 78.38%.
In West Bengal, a fierce competition is underway between the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the BJP across all four by-election seats. The stakes are high in Himachal Pradesh for Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, with his wife Kamlesh Thakur also contesting from the Dehra seat. The by-elections in Punjab's Jalandhar West are seen as a litmus test for the state's AAP government following their underwhelming performance in the Lok Sabha elections.
The by-elections across these seven states have sparked competition and strategic maneuvering among the parties.
West Bengal:
TMC and BJP are head-to-head in the seats of Raiganj, Ranaghat South, Bagda, and Maniktala. With strong local candidates, the TMC aimed to tighten its stronghold, whereas the BJP fielded prominent personalities like Kalyan Chaubey, the President of the All India Football Federation.
Himachal Pradesh:
By-elections took place for the seats of Dehra, Hamirpur, and Nalagarh, vacated by independent MLAs who supported the BJP in the Rajya Sabha elections and subsequently resigned to join the party. The BJP fielded these former independent MLAs, while the Congress nominated Kamlesh Thakur, wife of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, for Dehra.
Uttarakhand:
A triangular battle unfolds in the Mangalore assembly seat among BSP, Congress, and BJP, while Badrinath sees a direct contest between BJP's Rajendra Bhandari and Congress newcomer Lakhpat Singh Butola.
Punjab:
The Jalandhar West by-election is crucial for Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and AAP, marking a significant challenge post their Lok Sabha set back. AAP nominated Mohinder Bhagat while Congress fielded Surinder Kaur.
Bihar:
The Rupauli seat sees RJD's multi-term MLA Bima Bharti in contest, with JD(U)'s Kaladhar Mandal challenging her. Bharti, a Lok Sabha candidate from Purnia, faced defeat in previous elections.
Tamil Nadu:
The Vikravandi by-election features DMK's Anniyur Shiva, PMK's KC Ambumani, and Naam Tamilar Katchi's Dr. Abhinay battling it out. AIADMK decided to boycott the by-election, refraining from fielding any candidate.
Madhya Pradesh:
Amarwada (ST) seat by-election in Chhindwara has become a prestige battle for both the Congress and BJP. BJP tasked Kamlesh Shah (who switched from Congress before the Lok Sabha elections), and Congress picked Dheeran Shah Invati as their candidates.
Why these by-elections?
In Himachal Pradesh, three seats became vacant following the resignation of independent MLAs who supported the BJP in the Rajya Sabha elec… [Truncated for the response]
