New Delhi: Bypolls on a total of 26 assembly seats across 13 states are set to be held concurrently with the Lok Sabha elections. "There are 26 assembly constituencies where byelections are due. These are in Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu," Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said at a press conference
Himachal Pradesh Bypolls After Disqualification Of 6 MLAs
The upcoming byelections to six assembly seats in Himachal Pradesh, prompted by the disqualification of Congress MLAs, have been scheduled to coincide with the Lok Sabha polls on June 1, as confirmed by state Chief Electoral Officer Maneesh Garg. The constituencies where the bypolls will be conducted include Dharamshala, Sujanpur, Lahaul and Spiti, Barsar, Gagret, and Kutlehar.
These seats became vacant after six rebel Congress MLAs, who had abstained from voting on a cut motion and finance bill (Budget) in the assembly, were disqualified for defying a party whip to be present in the assembly and vote in favour of the government, reported PTI.
The Congress legislators facing disqualification in Himachal Pradesh are Sudhir Sharma, Ravi Thakur, Rajinder Rana, Inder Dutt Lakhanpal, Chetanya Sharma, and Devinder Kumar Bhutto. They were part of the nine MLAs, including three Independents, who voted in favor of BJP nominee Harsh Mahajan during the recent Rajya Sabha polls. These MLAs have lodged an appeal against their disqualification in the Supreme Court, with the hearing scheduled for March 18.
Rajasthan's Bagidora Bypolls
Apart from Lok Sabha elections in Rajasthan, an assembly bypoll is set to take place in the state on April 26, as per the schedule announced by the Election Commission. The bypoll for the Bagidora assembly constituency, falling under the Banswara parliamentary constituency, will coincide with the second phase of Lok Sabha polls.
The Lok Sabha elections in Rajasthan will be conducted in two phases: April 19 and April 26. In the initial phase on April 19, voting will occur for 12 seats, including Jaipur Rural, Jaipur, Ganganagar, Bikaner, Churu, Jhunjhunu, Sikar, Alwar, Bharatpur, Karauli-Dholpur, Dausa, and Nagaur.
The subsequent phase will cover the remaining 13 seats, encompassing Tonk-Sawai Madhopur, Ajmer, Pali, Jodhpur, Barmer, Jalore, Udaipur, Banswara, Chittorgarh, Rajsamand, Bhilwara, Kota, and Jhalawar-Baran.
According to the schedule released by the poll panel, voting for the second phase of Lok Sabha polls and the assembly bypoll is slated for April 26. The assembly bypoll for the Bagidora constituency became necessary following the vacancy created by Congress MLA Mahendrajeet Singh Malviya's recent defection to the BJP.
Malviya is now contesting the Lok Sabha election from the Banswara seat as a BJP candidate. Across the country, Lok Sabha polls will unfold in seven phases, commencing on April 19 and concluding on June 1. Vote counting is scheduled for June 4.
Bypoll To Gandey Assembly In Jharkhand
Bypolls for the Gandey assembly constituency in Jharkhand are scheduled for May 20, coinciding with the parliamentary elections in the state. The vacancy in the Gandey seat, located in Giridih district, arose following the resignation of JMM MLA Sarfaraz Ahmad. Sarfaraz Ahmad, along with BJP's Pradeep Verma, was elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Jharkhand on March 14.
The assembly constituency remained vacant after the resignation was accepted by the Jharkhand Assembly Speaker on December 31, 2023, as notified by the Assembly Secretariat, as per PTI.
The ruling alliance, led by JMM, has 47 MLAs in the 81-member House, while the BJP has 26 legislators and the AJSU Party has three. Additionally, the NCP and CPI(ML) each have one lawmaker, alongside two Independents and a nominated member.Within the ruling alliance, the JMM has 29 MLAs, the Congress has 17, and the RJD has one.