NEW DELHI: Bypolls to fill vacancies in 13 assembly constituencies across seven states will be held on July 10, with vote counting on July 13. The last date to file nominations is June 21, and candidates can withdraw their candidacy until June 26.
In Tamil Nadu’s Vikravandi, the NDA candidate will face the DMK nominee. The AIADMK is boycotting the elections, claiming the DMK will incite violence and hinder independent voting. C. Anbumani of the Pattali Makkal Katchi, an NDA constituent, will contest the Vikravandi by-poll.
Ramadoss, founder of the Pattali Makkal Katchi, a constituent of the BJP-led NDA in Tamil Nadu, has confirmed that his party’s vice-president, C. Anbumani, will contest the Vikravandi by-poll. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has announced Anniyur Siva as its candidate for the Vikravandi by-election.
In West Bengal, the BJP has nominated Kalyan Chaubey for the Maniktala constituency in Kolkata, Manas Kumar Ghosh for Raiganj in Uttar Dinajpur district, Manoj Kumar Biswas for Ranaghat Dakshin (SC) in Nadia district, and Binay Kumar Biswas for the Bagda (SC) seat. Both Manoj Kumar Biswas and Binay Kumar Biswas belong to the Matua community, which has a significant voter base in Ranaghat Dakshin and Bagda, both reserved for SCs. Chaubey was previously defeated by TMC leader Sadhan Pandey in the 2021 assembly polls, but the seat became vacant after Pandey’s death.
The TMC has announced Krishna Kalyani for Raiganj, Mukut Mani Adhikari for Ranaghat Dakshin, Supti Pandey for Maniktala, and Madhuparna Thakur for Bagdah as their candidates. Kalyani had won Raiganj on a BJP ticket in the 2021 assembly polls and later switched to the TMC for the Lok Sabha polls but lost. Adhikari joined the TMC earlier this year and also lost in the Lok Sabha elections from Ranaghat.
BJP turncoat Biswajit Das joined the TMC and contested from the Bongaon Lok Sabha seat on a TMC ticket but was defeated.
In the 2021 assembly polls, he was elected from Bagda on a BJP ticket but resigned before filing nominations for the Lok Sabha polls, leading to by-elections in the Bagda seat.
Himachal Pradesh will see contests in Dehra, Hamirpur, and Nalagarh. The Congress declared candidates for two assembly seats in Himachal Pradesh: Dr. Pushpendra Verma (Hamirpur) and Hardeep Singh Bawa (Nalagarh). Both candidates lost in the 2022 elections. The party has yet to announce a candidate for Dehra. The BJP has given tickets to three former Independent MLAs: Hoshary Singh Chambyal (Dehra), Ashish Sharma (Hamirpur), and K. L. Thakur (Nalagarh).
In Bihar, in addition to Rupauli, by-polls will also be conducted in the assembly seats of Ramgarh, Belaganj, Tarari, and Imamganj to fill vacancies that have emerged following the recent Lok Sabha elections.
The Rupauli seat was vacated by Bima Bharti, who resigned as a JD(U) MLA and joined the RJD to contest the Lok Sabha poll from Purnea. Meanwhile, in Punjab, the AAP has announced Mohinder Bhagat as its candidate for the Jalandhar West assembly seat, following Sheetal Angural’s resignation. The BJP has nominated Sheetal Angural for the same seat.
Uttarakhand’s Badrinath and Manglaur will go to the polls as well. The Badrinath seat became vacant when Congress MLA Rajendra Bhandari resigned from his position in March and joined the BJP. Rajendra Singh Bhandari will contest the Badrinath seat, and Kartar Singh Bhadana is candidate for the Manglaur seat.