Polling for by-elections in 15 assembly seats across Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Kerala, and Uttarakhand began at 7 AM on Wednesday, November 20. The vote counting is scheduled for November 23.
Uttar Pradesh: Key Battleground
In Uttar Pradesh, bypolls are being conducted in **Katehari, Karhal, Meerapur, Ghaziabad, Majhawan, Sisamau, Khair, Phulpur, and Kundarki**, with a total of 90 candidates contesting. Ghaziabad sees the highest number of candidates at 14, while Sisamau has the lowest voter count.
The state has 34,35,974 eligible voters, including 18,46,846 men, 15,88,967 women, and 161 third-gender voters. The bypolls are the first major political test for the INDIA bloc and NDA following the Lok Sabha elections.
In the 2022 assembly elections, the Samajwadi Party (SP) won Sisamau, Katehari, Karhal, and Kundarki, while the BJP secured Phulpur, Ghaziabad, Majhawan, and Khair. Meerapur was won by BJP ally RLD.
Punjab: Four Seats in Focus
Punjab is holding bypolls in Gidderbaha, Dera Baba Nanak, Chabbewal (SC), and Barnala after the MLAs from these constituencies were elected to the Lok Sabha earlier this year.
Previously, Gidderbaha, Dera Baba Nanak, and Chabbewal were held by the Congress, while the AAP controlled Barnala. Key candidates include BJP’s former finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal, Congress’s Amrita Warring and Jatinder Kaur, AAP’s Hardeep Singh Dimpy Dhillon, and BJP’s Kewal Singh Dhillon.
Amrita Warring, wife of Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, and Jatinder Kaur, spouse of former deputy CM Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, are notable contestants.
Kerala and Uttarakhand: Single Seats Up for Grabs
In Kerala, the bypoll for the Palakkad constituency was necessitated after Congress MLA Shafi Parambil won the Lok Sabha seat from Vadakara earlier this year.
In Uttarakhand, the Kedarnath seat fell vacant following the death of BJP MLA Shailarani Rawat in July.
These bypolls are expected to offer a glimpse into the shifting political dynamics in the run-up to the general elections.
