Voting began on Wednesday for bypolls in 15 assembly seats across Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Kerala, and Uttarakhand, with the results scheduled to be declared on November 23. These bypolls are not expected to significantly alter the composition of the legislative assemblies in these states.
Uttar Pradesh
In Uttar Pradesh, the bypolls are being held in Katehari, Karhal, Meerapur, Ghaziabad, Majhawan, Sisamau, Khair, Phulpur, and Kundarki, with 90 candidates contesting across these constituencies. Ghaziabad sees the highest number of candidates, with 14 individuals vying for the seat.
These bypolls are considered the first electoral challenge for the INDIA bloc and NDA in Uttar Pradesh since the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. In the 2022 assembly elections, these seats were divided between the Samajwadi Party (SP), BJP, and BJP ally Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD).
Punjab
In Punjab, bypolls are being held in Gidderbaha, Dera Baba Nanak, Chabbewal (SC), and Barnala constituencies, following the election of the previous MLAs to the Lok Sabha. Three of these seats were previously held by Congress, while Barnala was held by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
A total of 45 candidates, including three women, are competing, with key contenders including:
- Manpreet Singh Badal (BJP, former Punjab finance minister)
- Amrita Warring (Congress)
- Hardeep Singh Dimpy Dhillon (AAP)
Kerala
In Kerala, the bypoll in Palakkad was triggered by the election of Shafi Parambil (Congress MLA) to the Lok Sabha from Vadakara.
Uttarakhand
In Uttarakhand, the bypoll in Kedarnath was called after the death of BJP MLA Shailarani Rawat. This constituency has become a battleground between BJP’s Asha Nautiyal and Congress’s Manoj Rawat, both of whom have represented the seat in the past. The Kedarnath constituency has 90,540 eligible voters, including 45,775 women.
These bypolls, though significant in terms of the contest, are not expected to make any major changes to the political landscape of the states involved.