Byelection Results 2023 Live: As the counting in the bypolls on one Lok Sabha seat and four Assembly seats is underway, Samajwadi party's Kirti Kol is leading on Chhanbe assembly seat in Uttar Pradesh's Mirzapur and Apna Dal's candidate Shafiq Ahmed Ansari is leading on Suar Assembly seat in UP's Rampur, according to the trends after two hours. As far as the Jalandhar Lok Sabha byelection is concerned Aam Aadmi party's Sushil Rinku is leading by 16,000 votes closely followed by Congress.
Bypolls were held in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Odisha and Meghalaya witnessed brisk voting on Wednesday, with the northeastern state registering a polling percentage of more than 90. The counting began at 8 AM on Saturday. The bypolls were conducted for two Assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh, one each in Meghalaya and Odisha and the Jalandhar Lok Sabha constituency in Punjab.
Jalandhar Lok Sabha Constituency
The Jalandhar Lok Sabha seat fell vacant following the death of Congress MP Santokh Singh Chaudhary due to a cardiac arrest during the party's Bharat Jodo Yatra in January. It witnessed a four-cornered electoral battle involving the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).
Jalandhar Lok Sabha constituency has been vacant since January this year following the demise of Congress MP Santokh Chaudhary who collapsed while walking alongside Rahul Gandhi during the Bharat Jodo Yatra on January 14. He passed away due to a cardiac attack. The bypolls in the seat were necessitated after Chaudhary's death.
A total of 16,21,800 voters -- 8,44,904 males, 7,76,855 females and 41 third-gender voters -- were eligible to exercise their franchise in the Jalandhar bypoll. Nineteen candidates, including four women, are in the fray. The AAP fielded former MLA Sushil Rinku, who quit the Congress, while the Congress kept its faith in Karamjit Kaur, the wife of Santokh Chaudhary.
The BJP fielded Inder Iqbal Singh Atwal, a Dalit Sikh who quit the SAD to join the saffron party. Atwal is the son of former Punjab Assembly speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal. The SAD fielded its two-time MLA from Banga, Sukhwinder Kumar Sukhi, who is a medical practitioner by profession. The SAD candidate was backed by the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). The seat is considered to be a stronghold of the Congress, which has remained undefeated here since 1999.
Suar Assembly Constituency, Rampur, UP
Suar assembly seat in Rampur district was declared vacant on February 13 after a Moradabad court sentenced Abdullah Azam Khan, the son of senior Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan, to two years in jail in a 15-year-old case. The ruling coalition partner Apna Dal (Sonelal) is contesting in both seats. Anuradha Chauhan is contesting from this seat on a Samajwadi Party ticket while Shafeek Ahmed Ansari is contesting on Apna Dal (Sonelal) ticket.
Abdullah Azam Khan was disqualified from the UP Legislative Assembly after he was convicted and sentenced to two-year imprisonment in a 15-year-old case. Abdulla Azam Khan was representing Suar in Rampur district in the Assembly. There is a direct contest between the ruling BJP-led coalition and opposition Samajwadi Party (SP) in the Suar bypolls in Uttar Pradesh. A total of six candidates are in the fray.
Chhanbey assembly constituency, Mirzapur, UP
The Chhanbey Assembly seat in Mirzapur fell vacant after the death of Apna Dal (Sonelal) MLA Rahul Prakash Kol in February this year. The party has fielded Koi's wife Rinki Kol who is pitted against Kirti Kol who is contesting as a Samajwadi Party candidate. There is a direct contest between the ruling BJP-led coalition and opposition Samajwadi Party (SP) in the Chhanbey Assembly bypolls in Uttar Pradesh. A total of eight candidates are in the fray.