NEW DELHI: Counting of votes for 13 assembly seats across 7 states began on Saturday morning.
After the Lok Sabha elections, in which the INDIA bloc gave a tough fight to the BJP-led NDA, this is seen as another close fight between the alliances.
The high-stakes contest was necessitated after the MLAs were elected as Lok Sabha MPs.
Polling for the seats took place on Wednesday.Here are the state-wise details of the seats that went to polls.
Bihar
The by-election in Bihar’s Rupauli constituency was necessitated by the resignation of JD(U)’s Bima Bharti, who contested the bypoll on an RJD ticket after losing the Lok Sabha election. Bharti hopes to win with support from Independent MP Pappu Yadav. The JD(U) fielded Kaladhar Prasad Mandal.
West Bengal
In West Bengal, high stakes exist for both the Trinamool Congress, led by chief minister Mamata Banerjee and the BJP.
The TMC seeks to retain Maniktala, while the BJP eyes Raiganj, Ranaghat Dakshin and Bagda, previously won but switched to TMC by former BJP MLAs.
Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh’s by-elections are critical, with notable candidates including Kamlesh Thakur, the wife of chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, contesting from Dehra. The other seats include Hamirpur and Nalagarh.
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand’s Manglaur seat, dominated by Muslim and Dalit voters, sees a three-way contest following BSP MLA Sarwat Karim Ansari’s death. The BJP aims to capture this traditionally Congress, BSP-held constituency. The other seats include Manglaur and Badrinath.
Punjab
In Punjab’s Jalandhar West, the bypoll is a significant test for AAP leader and chief minister Bhagwant Mann.
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu’s Vikravandi constituency faces a triangular contest among DMK’s Anniyur Siva, PMK’s C Anbumani, and Naam Tamilar Katchi’s K Abinaya, following the death of DMK legislator N Pughazhendhi.
Madhya Pradesh
In Madhya Pradesh’s Amarwara, the election follows Congress MLA Kamlesh Shah’s defection to BJP. The main contenders are BJP’s Kamlesh Shah, Congress’s Dheeran Shah Invati and GGP’s Devraman Bhalavi.
These by-elections span constituencies in West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh, with governance split between INDIA bloc constituents and NDA.
