By-elections for eight assembly seats across six states and Jammu and Kashmir will be held on November 11. Key contests include Budgam and Nagrota in J&K, Anta in Rajasthan, and Tarn Taran in Punjab. Counting is set for November 14.
By-elections for eight assembly constituencies spread over six States and one Union Territory is set to be held on November 11. These constituencies are in Budgam and Nagrota in Jammu and Kashmir, Anta in Rajasthan, Ghatsila in Jharkhand, Jubilee Hills in Telangana, Tarn Taran in Punjab, Dampa in Mizoram and Nuapada in Odisha. Counting of votes is set to take place on November 14, along with the Bihar Assembly Elections.
Jammu and Kashmir
In Budgam, polling for the bye-elections will be held following Omar Abdullah’s resignation from the constituency. Abdullah chose to retain the Ganderbal constituency and vacate Budgam after winning both the seats in the 2024 assembly elections. The number of polling stations in the Budgam Assembly Constituency is 173 and 150 in Nagrota Assembly Constituency.
The National Conference has fielded Aga Mehmood, PDP Aga Syed Muntazir and BJP Syed Mohsin in the constituency. A total of 20 candidates are contesting the bye elections in Budgam.
In the Nagrota seat in the Jammu region National Conference’s Shamim Begum, a sitting District Development Council (DDC) member, is in fray against BJP’s Devyani Rana and J&K National Panthers Party president Harsh Dev Singh. .
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah earlier said that the bypoll in Nagrota will decide the constituency’s relationship with the government. Addressing a rally to appeal for National Conference (NC) candidate Shamim Begum, he said that the bypolls would not impact the overall result of the Assembly elections, but would determine Nagrota’s future.
The BJP has won the Nagrota Assembly seat three times — 2002, 2008, and 2024. The National Conference secured victories twice in 1996 and 2014.
Harsh Dev Singh is a three-time MLA from Ramnagar and won the seat 1996, 2002, and 2008 and losing out in 2014 from the same segment and in 2024 from Chenani.
The Congress candidate has withdrawn their nomination in favour of Begum.
A total of 13 candidates are contesting the bypolls for the seat that fell vacant after the demise of BJP legislator Devender Singh Rana last year. Rana passed away within a fortnight of taking oath.
Rajasthan
The bypoll to the Anta assembly constituency in Baran district of Rajasthan was necessitated after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kanwar Lal Meena was disqualified after being convicted in a 2005 case. He was accused of threatening a government official and was convicted in May this year.
The Congress has fielded Pramod Jain Bhaya, a two-time MLA and former Minister for the Anta bypoll, while the BJP has announced the name of Morpal Suman.
Independent candidate Naresh Meena also made headlines last year in November after he was arrested for slapping Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Amit Chaudhary in the then poll-bound Deoli Uniara assembly constituency. Meena was contesting from the same constituency independently after being denied a ticket by Congress.
Jharkhand
A total of 13 candidates will contest for the Ghatshila Assembly constituency after one candidate withdrew from the nomination. Jharkhand Minister Ramdas Soren passed away in August after being treated in Delhi for injuries from a fall. The bypoll was necessitated after Ramdas Soren’s demise, who was the JMM MLA.
In 2024 assembly polls, Ramdas Soren had defeated Babulal Soren, who is the son of BJP MLA and former Chief Minister Champai Soren. This time as well, NDA has nominated Babulal Soren, while Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha (JLKM) has nominated Ramdas Murmu.
Somesh Soren, son of late Ramdas Soren, is contesting as JMM candidate. It is likely to be a three-way contest in the Ghatsila assembly by-election.
Telangana
The death of the sitting MLA and BRS leader, Maganti Gopinath, prompted the Jubilee Hills by-election. The Congress party has nominated V. Naveen Yadav, a leader from the Backwards Class (BC), as its candidate. Gopinath’s widow, Sunitha, has been chosen by the BRS to run for the position. The BJP has selected Lankala Deepak Reddy as its candidate.
Recently, Telangana BJP President N Ramchander Rao slammed the Congress government in the State for its decision to induct former Indian Cricketer Mohammad Azharuddin into the Cabinet as a Minister just before the Jubilee Hills by-election, terming it as an act of appeasement and also a violation of the moral code of conduct Model Code of Conduct (MCC).
The Assembly constituency has a high concentration of Muslim voters, and the decision of the Congress government has been seen as a move to increase the prospects of the party among the Muslim voters. The Congress has no Muslim MLA in the current State Assembly, and there is no Muslim Cabinet Minister in the Cabinet.
Punjab
The seat fell vacant after the death of sitting Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA, Kashmir Singh Sohal, in June this year. The AAP has fielded Harmeet Singh Sandhu, who is a Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) turncoat and a three-time MLA. The SAD has nominated Sukhwinder Kaur Randhawa. BJP has fielded its Tarn Taran district unit president, Harjit Singh Sandhu. Sandhu was with SAD before joining the BJP in 2022. For Congress, its Tarn Taran district unit committee chief Karanbir Singh Burj will be contesting the by-election.
Earlier on Satirday, the Election Commission gave directions for the suspension of SSP Ravjot Kaur Grewal for “interfering in the assembly bypoll”. The directions were conveyed in a letter to the Chief Electoral Officer of Punjab. Amritsar Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar has been given the additional charge of SSP, Tarn Taran. The EC also asked the Punjab government to submit a panel of three officers for further assignments.
Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukbir Singh Badal welcomed the Election Commission’s decision. “Welcome the Election Commission of India’s decision to suspend Tarn Taran SSP Dr Ravjot Kaur Grewal, who had been vitiating the election atmosphere in the Tarn Taran bypoll by acting as a polling agent of the @AamAadmiParty. She was resorting to registration of false cases against Akali leaders and its workers and subjecting them to brazenly illegal detention & intimidation. I also thank the Election Observer for acting promptly on the complaint filed by @Akali_Dal_ and for reporting the matter forcefully to the ECI,” Badal said in a post on X. “Ravjot Grewal’s criminally partisan conduct calls for initiation of a formal probe against her as well as resultant disciplinary action, including dismissal from service,” he added.
Mizoram
According to the Election Commission, in Dampa constituency, there are 20,888 registered voters and 115 service voters, making a total of 21,003 voters eligible to vote. The Congress has decided to go with John Rotluangliana, who is State Vice-President and former Minister. The BJP has nominated Lalhmingthanga. Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) has fielded Vanlalsailova. The MNF has nominated its Vice-President and former Minister R. Lalthangliana to contest the by-election.
For the Dampa bye-election, there will be 40 polling stations, including 3 critical stations and 5 pink polling stations (managed by women staff). According to the EC, 57 voters are eligible for home voting (for elderly or infirm voters). 5 PwD (Persons with Disabilities) voters are also registered for assistance. 10 polling officials will cast their votes through postal ballots.
Odisha
The bypoll in Nuapada was necessitated following the vacancy in the Assembly seat after the passing away of BJD’s Rajendra Dholakia. Snehangini Chhuria, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) candidate for Nuapada Assembly by-election, exuded confidence that people will bestow their trust on her in the bypoll. She will be up against Bharatiya Janata Party’s Jay Dholakia and Congress’ Ghasiram Majhi.
Just a day before the polling, BJD chief and former Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday alleged serious violations of Election Commission guidelines in the Nuapada bypoll during the legally mandated silence period and sought the Election Commission’s intervention to ensure that “all non-local political leaders vacate the constituency”. He sought directions to the district administration and police “to act impartially”.
In a post on X, Patnaik said that Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has reliable information that leaders and workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from outside Nuapada “are attempting to influence voters”. He alleged that the district administration and local police are acting in a partisan manner, serving the interests of the ruling party. (ANI)
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