Page 2 - Bypolls

Stage set for polling in Jharkhand, Wayanad & 33 bypolls across 11 states

Polling for the first phase of Jharkhand's assembly elections, the Wayanad parliamentary seat in Kerala, and bypolls in 33 assembly seats across 11 states is set to begin on Wednesday morning.

Bypolls in Wayanad Lok Sabha & 31 Assembly seats spread across 10 states

Bypolls will be held on Wednesday in 31 assembly seats spread across 10 states and Kerala's Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency, from where Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is making her electoral debut. Though these bye-elections are not going to have any bearing on the governments, they are seen as a big test for the Congress and the INDIA bloc which failed to put up a united show in the recent Haryana assembly polls. Most of these seats fell vacant after the sitting MLAs contested the Lok Sabha elections and won while in some constituencies, the bypolls are being held due to death of the representatives. The Wayanad seat was vacated by Rahul Gandhi, who also won from the Rae Bareli parliamentary constituency which he kept. Voting will be held in seven seats in Rajasthan, six in West Bengal, five in Assam, four seats in Bihar, three in Karnataka, two seats in Madhya Pradesh, and one seat each in Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Kerala and Meghalaya. Votes will be counted on ...

West Bengal: TMC, BJP set for bypolls on six seats amid RG Kar probe

The by-elections to six assembly constituencies in West Bengal on Wednesday are shaping up to be a test for the ruling TMC, amid a wave of widespread protests across the state surrounding the alleged rape and murder of a doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The incident has sparked a months-long agitation by junior doctors demanding justice for their deceased colleague and systemic reforms, significantly impacting the political environment just days before the polls. Both the ruling TMC and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have fielded candidates for all six seats: Naihati, Haroa, Medinipur, Taldangra, Sitai (SC), and Madarihat (ST). Notably, five of these constituencies are in the TMC strongholds of south Bengal, while Madarihat remains a BJP bastion in the northern part of the state. Adding another layer of competition, the CPI (M)-led Left Front and the Congress are contesting separately for the first time since 2021, following a recent change in the Ben

Rahul joins Wayanad bypoll campaign, vows to make it global tourism hub

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi joined his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on the last day of the bypoll campaign for the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat on Monday and promised to elevate Wayanad to the ranks of world's premier tourism destination. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is the UDF candidate contesting in the bypoll. "As a challenge, I will help her (Priyanka Gandhi) to make Wayanad the best tourism destination in the world," Rahul said, while addressing a gathering followed by a roadshow along with Priyanka from the Assumption Junction to Chungam Junction in Sultan Bathery here. The Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha said the people of Wayanad taught him that the word love has a great place in politics. "I did not use that word, but the people of Wayanad taught me that the word has a great place in politics," he added. The Congress leader also stated that love and affection are the only weapons to combat hatred and anger. A huge crowd gathered on both sides of the road

PM Modi to visit Bihar on Nov 13, 15 to attend events in Darbhanga, Jamui

The by-polls will be conducted on November 13 in Tarari, Ramgarh, Imamganj and Belaganj assembly constituencies and the results for the same will be declared on November 23

Palakkad bypoll: Trolley bag row will cause set back for LDF, says CPI(M)

The ruling CPI(M) in Kerala on Saturday expressed confidence that the trolley bag controversy would cause set back to the Congress-UDF in bypoll-bound Palakkad and would turn out to be votes for the party-led LDF in the constituency in the November 20 assembly by-election. The Left party said the midnight search issue and the subsequent trolley bag controversy had come up as part of the election process and there is no need to ignore it without discussing it. Police recently conducted a raid at a hotel in Palakkad on suspicion of the arrival of black money where prominent Congress leaders were staying. Addressing reporters here, CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan said the state should discuss the matter in connection with the flow of hawala money (during election time). "We are not a party which goes after a trolley bag. All these issues have cropped up as part of election progress and not come up as a political issue. It's an important matter which should not be ignored. A correc

Want to serve Wayanad, just like mother looks after children: Priyanka

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who is making her electoral debut as the UDF candidate in the Wayanad Lok Sabha bypoll, on Thursday said her sentiments about serving the people of the hill constituency are the same as those of a mother towards her children. Priyanka, on the last day of her second leg of bypoll campaign, said that if she was given a chance, she would fight for the people of Wayanad not only in the Parliament, but on every other platform. The Congress leader also referred to the love her brother -- Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi -- has for Wayanad and urged the people of the hill constituency to vote for her so that she can help them for the affection and support they have shown to her family. Priyanka also reiterated her accusations against the BJP-led Centre, saying that their politics has harmed farmers and small business owners in the country. Addressing corner meetings at Akampadam and Pothukallu in Eranad and Nilambur assembly constituencie

Is Wayanad a cakewalk for Priyanka, or will she face stiff competition?

When devastating landslides struck Wayanad in July, Rahul Gandhi had already vacated this Lok Sabha seat - a move his opponents called a 'betrayal'. Now, with tragedy and unresolved issues as the back

38 candidates fighting on 4 seats in Bihar bypolls; 34 in fray in Assam

Altogether 38 candidates were on Wednesday left in the fray for Tarari, Ramgarh, Belaganj and Imamganj assembly seats of Bihar where by-polls are scheduled next month. According to a statement from the Election Commission, a total of 50 candidates, including nine women, had filed their nomination papers till October 25, but six of those were rejected during scrutiny and an equal number of persons withdrew from the contest. Of the four constituencies, Belaganj has the highest number of 14 candidates, including RJD's Vishwanath Kumar Singh, son of Surendra Prasad Yadav whose election to the Lok Sabha from Jehanabad has necessitated the by-election. His main rival is Manorama Devi of JD(U), a former MLC while Jan Suraaj's Mohd Amjad and AIMIM's Mohd Zamin Ali Hasan are expected to queer the pitch for the two primary contenders. The lowest number of five candidates are in the fray for Ramgarh where RJD's Ajit Kumar Singh, the son of state party chief Jagadanand Singh, hopes to retain t

Congress releases list of 7 candidates for Rajasthan Assembly bypolls

Voting for Rajasthan by-polls will be held on November 13 and counting of votes will take place on November 23

Cong announces candidates for Assam, Madhya Pradesh Assembly bypolls

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge approved the proposals to nominate candidates for two assembly seats in Madhya Pradesh and four seats in Assam

RS bypoll: BJP's Haryana candidate Kiran Choudhry files nomination

BJP leader Kiran Choudhry on Wednesday filed her nomination for the Rajya Sabha bypoll from Haryana, with some JJP rebel MLAs also extending support to her candidature. Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, state BJP president Mohan Lal Badoli, several party MLAs, the party's co-incharge for the state Biplab Kumar Deb and some JJP rebels were among those present when Choudhry submitted her nomination papers. Wednesday was the last day for filing nominations for the Rajya Sabha bypoll. The BJP named Choudhry as its nominee for the bypoll shortly after she resigned from the Assembly on Tuesday, nearly two months after she switched over from the Congress. She represented the Tosham seat in the Haryana Assembly. Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda had earlier said his party would not field a candidate for the Rajya Sabha seat as it did not have the numbers. Though BJP has numbers on its side in case of a contest, with the opposition unlikely to field a candidate, Choudhry appears set t

Reflects changing political climate in country: Congress on bypoll gains

The Congress on Saturday hailed its gains in the assembly bypolls in Himachal Pradesh and BJP-ruled Uttarakhand, saying the results "reflect the changing political climate in the country". The Congress won both the assembly bypolls in Uttarakhand and in Himachal Pradesh, it secured two out of the three seats where bye-elections were held. On the party's victories in Uttarakhand, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh, in a post on 'X', said, "Manglaur was wrested from the BSP and in the face of dirty tactics by the BJP. In Badrinath, the sitting MLA was a Congressman who had switched to the BJP during the Lok Sabha polls. He has been rightly punished by the people and the Congress has held on to the seat." "Both ways the results reflect the changing political climate in the country," he said. On the Himachal Pradesh bypoll results, Ramesh said that "all machinations of the BJP have failed miserably". "The Congress has won two of the assembly seats held by Independents who had be

'Anger at independents joining BJP aided Cong win Dehra, Nalagarh bypolls'

Resigning and switching to the BJP has proved costly for two Independent legislators of Himachal Pradesh who lost to Congress candidates from their seats on Saturday in the assembly bypolls. Congress candidate Kamlesh Thakur, the wife of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, defeated BJP's Hoshiyar Singh for the Dehra seat by a margin of 9,399 votes. Congress' Hardeep Singh Bawa defeated his nearest rival and BJP candidate K L Thakur in the bypoll to the Nalagarh assembly seat by 8,990 votes. Bawa is a five-time Indian National Trade Union Congress president. BJP's Ashish Sharma, however, managed to win the assembly bypolls from Hamirpur seat as he secured 1,571 votes more than nearest rival and Congress candidate Pushpender Verma. The bypoll results ensured that for the first time in the electoral history of the state, a husband and wife -- CM Sukhvinder Sukhu and Kamlesh Thakur -- would be members of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly. In another first, there will not be a single ..

News updates: India has given Buddha to the world, not war, says PM to Indians in Austria

From Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Austria visit to Mumbai's hit-and-run case, and from Bihar's bridge collapse to bypolls in seven states, catch all the latest news updates here

Assembly by-polls today: In Himachal's Dehra, CM Sukhu's wife in fray. List

Assembly by-polls update: By-elections for Himachal's Hamirpur, Dehra, and Nalagarh seats were announced following the resignation of three independent MLAs who joined the Bharatiya Janata Party

Bypolls to 5 legislative council vacancies in 4 states on July 12

Bypolls to fill five legislative council vacancies in four states will be held on July 12, the Election Commission said on Tuesday. Elections to three of the five seats were necessitated due to the resignation of members of legislative council (MLCs) and to the remaining two due to disqualification. In Karnataka, former chief minister Jagadish Shettar had resigned as an MLC in January. He had quit the BJP and joined the Congress after being denied a ticket to contest the election from the Dharwad Central Assembly seat which he represented. Shettar had later rejoined the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha polls and won the parliamentary election. A vacancy was created in the Uttar Pradesh legislative council when Swami Prasad Maurya quit the Samajwadi Party and resigned from the House in February. One seat each in Bihar and Andhra Pradesh fell vacant due to the disqualification of sitting members. Another seat in the Andhra Pradesh legislative council fell vacant in April when YSR Congres

BJP declares name of candidates for by-polls to 4 Assembly seats in Bengal

The BJP on Monday announced the name of Kalyan Chaubey and three new faces for the four assembly seats in West Bengal where by-polls are slated to be held on July 10. The ruling Trinamool Congress has already announced its candidates for the by-polls a few days back. The BJP has fielded Kalyan Chaubey from Maniktala constituency in Kolkata, Manas Kumar Ghosh from Raiganj in Uttar Dinajpur district, Manoj Kumar Biswas from Ranaghat Dakshin (SC) in Nadia district and Binay Kumar Biswas from Bagda (SC) seat. Both Manoj Kumar Biswas and Binay Kumar Biswas belong to the Matua community which has a significant chunk of voters in Ranaghat Dakshin and Bagda, both seats reserved for SCs. Chaubey had been defeated by TMC leader Sadhan Pandey in the 2021 assembly polls but the seat fell vacant after Pandey's death. The TMC has announced Krishna Kalyani from Raiganj, Mukut Mani Adhikari from Ranaghat-Dakshin, Supti Pandey from Maniktala and Madhuparna Thakur from Bagdah as their ...

TMC announces candidates for assembly by-elections in West Bengal

The ruling Trinamool Congress on Friday announced candidates for the July 10 by-elections to four assembly seats in West Bengal. The Mamata Banerjee-led party has nominated Krishna Kalyani from Raiganj seat and Mukut Mani Adhikari from Ranaghat-Dakshin constituency. Supti Pandey, the widow of former TMC MLA Sadhan Pandey, has been fielded from Maniktala seat in Kolkata, while Madhuparna Thakur has been nominated from Matua-dominated Bagda seat. Raiganj and Ranaghat assembly segments fell vacant after Kalyani and Adhikari, both BJP MLAs, switched over to the TMC and unsuccessfully contested the Lok Sabha polls. The Maniktala seat fell vacant after the death of Sadhan Pande in 2022. Bagda's sitting BJP MLA Biswajit Das had switched over to the TMC and unsuccessfully contested from the Bangaon Lok Sabha seat.

Himachal Congress ex-MLAs contesting assembly bypolls on BJP ticket

Facing a barrage of criticism, dubbed "bike hue (sold out) mafia" by Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, the six disqualified Congress MLAs contesting the assembly bypolls on a BJP ticket have resolved to fight fire with fire. Not apologetic and in a mood to retaliate, they say it is the public who voted for them that comes first and not the party they belong to. Rajinder Rana (Sujanpur), Sudhir Sharma (Dharamshala), Ravi Thakur (Lahaul & Spiti), Inder Dutt Lakhanpal (Barsar), Chaitanya Sharma (Gagret) and Devinder Kumar Bhutto (Kutlehar), along with three Independent lawmakers, voted for Harsh Mahajan -- the BJP's nominee in the Rajya Sabha election on February 27. Two days later, the six Congress MLAs were disqualified from the assembly for defying a party whip to be present in the House and vote in favour of the government. They later joined the BJP and were fielded from their respective constituencies on a saffron party ticket. Ever since the cross-voting ..