Farmers Movement Archive

Counting of votes for bypolls to be held tomorrow: Know what's at stake

The counting of votes will be held on Tuesday in three Lok Sabha constituencies and 29 assembly seats where by-elections were held on October 30. These constituencies are spread across 13 states and the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli.The Lok Sabha constituency where bypolls were held are: Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh, Mandi in Himachal Pradesh and Dadra and Nagar Haveli. In all the three Lok Sabha constituencies, the sitting members had died.The assembly bypolls in five seats in Assam, four in West Bengal, three each in Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Meghalaya, two each in Bihar, Karnataka and Rajasthan and one seat each is in Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra, Mizoram and Telangana recorded big turnout.Voting was scheduled to be held in Nagaland's Shamator-Chessore assembly constituency on October 30, but Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) candidate was elected uncontested from there on October 13.Out of the 29 assembly seats, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had won in around half a dozen constituencies, the Congress had nine, while the rest were with the regional parties.Here is a look at some of the key battles:Lok Sabha constituencies:Mandi: The seat fell vacant after the death of Ramswaroop Sharma of the BJP in March. In Mandi, Pratibha Singh is pitted against BJP's Khushal Singh Thakur, a Kargil War hero.Dadra and Nagar Haveli: The by-elections were held in the union territory due to the demise of Independent Lok Sabha member Mohan Delkar. Seven-time independent MP Mohan Delkar's wife Kalaben Delkar contested as Shiv Sena candidate against BJP's Mahesh Gavit and Congress' Mahesh Dhodi from here.Khandwa: The bypoll in Khandwa was held due to the death of BJP member Nand Kumar Singh Chauhan. The ruling BJP and the opposition Congress are in a straight contest for Khandwa.Assembly seats:Haryana: The state saw bypolls in singe seat - Ellenabad - due to the resignation of Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) leader Abhay Chautala as MLA in protest against the Centre's new farm laws. He contested against Congress' Pawan Beniwal and BJP-JP candidate Gobind Kanda. It is an important contest for the Chautalas as Abhay Chautala had won the 2010 bypolls from Ellenabad when Om Prakash Chautala vacated the seat, and then retained it in 2014 and also in 2019 assembly polls.Telangana: Huzurabad in the southern state saw triangular contest between the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS), opposition BJP and Congress. The by-election was held following the resignation of Eatala Rajender in June after his removal from the state Cabinet over allegations of land grabbing. Rajender, who dismissed the allegations, had quit the TRS and contested the by-election on a BJP ticket. The result is significant for the BJP as it aims at emerging as an alternative to the ruling TRS in the 2023 Legislative Assembly elections.Assam: Out of the five seats - Gossaigaon, Bhabanipur, Tamulpur, Mariani and Thowra - the ruling BJP fielded candidates in three seats leaving the other two to alliance partner UPPL. The Congress put up nominees in all five, while its former allies, the AIUDF and the BPF, contested in two and one seats respectively.West Bengal: Ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidate Udayan Guha, a heavyweight, is looking to reclaim Dinhata seat. Bypoll was also held a Santipur, which is a prestige battle for the BJP as the party is grappling with an exodus of MLAs and senior leaders.Rajasthan: Both the BJP and the Congress are keen to win the bypolls in Vallabhnagar and Dhariawad to send a message across the state about the performance of the Ashok Gehlot government, which is facing a challenge from the Congress faction led by Sachin Pilot.Karnataka: The assembly bypolls were held in Sindgi and Hangal constituencies. The electoral battle is significant as it is the first test for chief minister Basavaraj Bommai, who had replaced BS Yediyurappa.Counting of votes will also take place in Andhra Pradesh's Badvel seat, earlier held by the YSRC, Deglur in Maharashtra, which was held by the Congress, Tuirial assembly seat in Mizoram and Raigaon, Jobat and Prithvipur in Madhya Pradesh.

Hindustan Times

01-11-2021

India