Voters queue up as Major political parties in Karnataka brace for a litmus test.
After the Haryana Assembly polls drubbing, all eyes will be on the Congress and INDIA bloc as 31 constituencies vote in Assembly bypolls across 10 states, apart from Lok Sabha bypolls in Kerala's Wayanad on Wednesday. The elections will mark the electoral debut of Congress scion Priyanka Gandhi, who will contest in Wayanad, earlier held by brother Rahul Gandhi.
Bypolls were necessitated in most of the 31 seats after sitting MLAs contested and won in Lok Sabha elections, while in some the sitting MLAs died.
In the November 13 bypolls, 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 November 23.
Here is a look at the bypolls today:
Kerala
By-elections to the Wayanad Lok Sabha and Chelakkara Assembly constituencies started at 7 am. At Wayanad, the election was necessitated after Rahul Gandhi, who retained his seat - though by a reduced margin as compared to the 2019 polls, decided to vacate it to hold on to the family borough of Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh.
Over the past three weeks, 52-year-old Priyanka Gandhi, along with Rahul Gandhi and their mother and former party chief Sonia Gandhi have campaigned with the target of a victory margin of over five lakh votes. The candidate of the ruling Left in Kerala is CPI veteran Sathyan Mokeri, while the BJP has fielded computer engineer-turned-sitting Kozhikode Corporation councillor Navya Haridas.
In one of the election campaigns in Sultan Bathery, Rahul Gandhi presented a "challenge" to his sister. "I would also like to challenge my sister to make Wayanad the best tourist destination. When people think of Kerala, the first destination should be Wayanad. This will benefit the people of Wayanad and its economy, and the world will get to know its beauty," he added.
Priyanka Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi during the campaign trail in Kerala.
Photo Credit: ANI
At Chelakkara, a stronghold for the CPI-M since 1996, the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan-led front has former party legislator UR Pradeep (2016-21), while the Congress has brought in Ramya Haridas, who lost to State Minister for SC/ST K Radhakrishnan in the contest for the Alathur Lok Sabha seat. The BJP has fielded local leader K Balakrishnan, while PV Anvar, the sitting Independent legislator who split ranks with the CPI-M-led Left to form his own party, is also in the race.
Rajasthan
Voting in seven seats, namely Jhunjhunu, Dausa, Deoli-Uniara, Khinvsar, Chorasi, Salumber and Ramgarh, will seal the fates of 69 candidates -- 10 female and 59 male. Apart from the BJP and the Congress, Hanuman Beniwal's Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) and Rajkumar Rathore's Bharat Adivasi Party (BAP) have also fielded candidates as they face the challenge of defending their strongholds.
The Jat-dominated Khinsvar seat will witness a triangular contest with the BJP's Revant Ram Danga up against the Congress' Ratan Chaudhary and the RLP's Kanika Chaudhary, the wife of party chief Hanuman Beniwal. The seat fell vacant after Hanuman Beniwal got elected to Lok Sabha this year. Danga and Beniwal were once close aides but later parted ways.
Another Jat-dominated seat of Jhunjhunu will see a direct contest between the BJP's Rajendra Bhamboo and Congress' Amit Ola, son of Brijendra Ola, who vacated the seat after being elected as an MP in the general polls this year. Former minister Rajendra Singh Gudha is also contesting the bypolls as an Independent from this seat.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma addresses a public meeting in support of BJP candidate from Jhunjhunu assembly seat Rajendra Bhambhu.
Photo Credit: ANI
In the tribal-dominated Chorasi seat, there is a close fight between the BJP and BAP candidates. The seat fell vacant after the BAP's Rajkumar Roat won as an MP in Lok Sabha elections.
Deoli-Uniara and Dausa seats are also witnessing contest between the BJP and Congress though Congress rebel Naresh Meena is also in the fray. Cabinet minister Kirodi Lal Meena's brother Jagmohan Meena is contesting Dausa bypolls against Congress' Deen Dayal. Two seats -- Ramgarh and Salumbar -- fell vacant after sitting MLAs (Congress's Zubair Khan on Ramgarh and BJP's Amrit Lal) died. Both the parties have given tickets to their family members, expecting they would garner sympathy votes.
The bypolls results, however, will have no bearing on the BJP government in Rajasthan. Of the seven seats, four were held by the Congress, and one each by the BJP, Bharat Adivasi Party (BAP), and the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP).
West Bengal
In the background of widespread protests in the RG Kar rape and murder case, the bypolls in six Assembly seats will be a test for the ruling Trinamool Congress. The bypolls will also serve as a litmus test for the TMC, which emerged victorious in the Lok Sabha elections just four months ago. The party had bagged 29 parliamentary seats, up from 22 in 2019, while the BJP's tally was down from 18 to 12.
The TMC is also hoping to maintain the momentum set since 2021, having won nearly all assembly by-polls, except Sagardighi in February 2023.
Of the six seats - Naihati, Haroa, Medinipur, Taldangra, Sitai (SC), and Madarihat (ST) - five are in the TMC strongholds of south Bengal, while Madarihat remains a BJP bastion in the northern part of the state.
Apart from the BJP, the CPI (M)-led Left Front and the Congress are contesting separately for the first time since 2021, following a recent change in the Bengal Congress leadership. This time, the Left Front has fielded candidates for five of the six seats, including one CPI(ML) nominee.
These bypolls were necessitated following the resignations of MLAs who were elected to the Lok Sabha in the general elections this year. The TMC had previously secured five of the six assembly constituencies in the 2021 elections, with the BJP holding onto Madarihat.
Assam
By-elections are being held in Dholai (SC), Sidli (ST), Bongaigaon, Behali and Samaguri assembly constituencies as these seats fell vacant with the representatives winning the recent Lok Sabha elections. Most of the 34 candidates in the fray are first-timers.
For the bypoll in Samaguri, the Congress named Dhubri MP Rakibul Hussain's son Tanzil as its candidate against Diplu Ranjan Sarma of the BJP. Jayanta Borah, who joined Congress after being named as its candidate for the Behali seat, is likely to have a direct fight with the BJP's Diganta Ghatowal. Lakhikanta Kurmi from CPI(ML) Liberation as a united opposition candidate and Ananta Gogoi from AAP are also in the fray in Behali.
Diptimayee Choudhury in Bongaigaon was nominated by the saffron party's ally Asom Gana Parishad. She is the wife of AGP MP Phani Bhusan Choudhury, who represented Bongaigaon for eight consecutive terms since 1985 before stepping inside Parliament for the first time earlier this year. Choudhury is locked in a direct contest with Brajenjit Singha of the Congress, which is aiming to snatch the seat from AGP.
In Dholai of Barak Valley, BJP candidate Nihar Ranjan Das is likely to face a tough challenge from Congress nominee Dhrubajyoti Purkayastha.
The contest at Sidli in Bodoland Territorial Region has reached an interesting point with Congress putting up a candidate after more than 20 years. A three-cornered fight is expected among Sanjib Warie of Congress, Nirmal Kumar Brahma of United People's Party Liberal and Suddho Kumar Basumatary of Bodoland People's Front.
As campaigning progressed, the public focus gradually shifted towards Samaguri, albeit not for positive news. Incidents of violence were reported almost daily in Samaguri since the announcement of the bypolls. Supporters of BJP and Congress were attacked and poll offices have been vandalised across the constituency. Several complaints were filed by both the BJP and Congress before the Election Commission. In Samaguri, the Congress has named Dhubri MP Rakibul Hussain's son Tanzil as the party's candidate against Diplu Ranjan Sarma of BJP.
Bihar
The stage is set for bypolls to Tarari, Imamganj, Belaganj and Ramgarh assembly seats, with 38 candidates in the fray. All the poll-bound seats fall in the area south of the Ganga, considered a stronghold of the Mahagathbandhan, comprising RJD, the Left and the Congress.
Not surprisingly, leader of the opposition Tejashwi Yadav, who spearheaded the RJD's campaign, asserted, "We must win bypolls handsomely if we are to set the tone for our victory in the 2025 assembly elections." However, the NDA, led by the BJP which is contesting Tarari and Ramgarh seats, is putting up a stiff fight, realising that it must maintain the tempo if it were to retain power in next year's elections.
The entry of Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj, which is contesting all four seats, has served as an unwelcome political plot twist for other parties in the fray.
In Imamganj, a reserved seat, where the by-election was necessitated by election to Lok Sabha from Gaya of Jitan Ram Manjhi, a Union minister and founder of the Hindustani Awam Morcha, the party has fielded Deepa, wife of his son Santosh Suman who is also a minister in the state's Nitish Kumar government. She is being challenged by RJD's Raushan Manjhi, a former member of Zila Parishad, and medical practitioner-turned-politician Jitendra Paswan who has been fielded by Jan Suraaj.
Bihar BJP president Dilip Jaishwal waves to the crowd during a roadshow in support of NDA candidate, Deepa Manjhi for Imamganj by-elections.
Photo Credit: ANI
In neighbouring Belaganj, Vishwanath Kumar Singh is making his debut on an RJD ticket, hoping to retain the seat his father Surendra Prasad Yadav had won many times on the trot before getting elected to Lok Sabha from Jehanabad. The main challenge in the seat has come from Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U), which has fielded former MLC Manorama Devi. Jan Suraaj has fielded local social activist Mohd Amjad.
Another seat that the RJD seeks to defend is Ramgarh, where its state president Jagadanand Singh's younger son Ajit is in the fray. The bypoll was necessitated by the election of Singh's elder son Sudhakar to the Lok Sabha from Buxar. The BJP has given the ticket to former MLA Ashok Kumar Singh while the Jan Suraaj candidate is Sushil Kumar Kushwaha, formerly associated with Mayawati's BSP which has some influence in the area close to Bihar's border with Uttar Pradesh.
The CPI(ML) has fielded Raju Yadav from Tarari, a seat won by Sudama Prasad twice before getting elected to Lok Sabha from Arrah. The BJP has fielded Vishal Prashant, a debutant whose father Sunil Pandey is a local strongman and a several term former MLA. Jan Suraaj has fielded Kiran Singh, a local social worker who is known to be active in education sector.
The bypolls are being touted to be a precursor to the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections, with major parties having mobilised top leaders to consolidate their bases.
Karnataka
Major political parties in Karnataka, the ruling Congress, NDA partners BJP and JD (S) brace for a litmus test in Channapatna, Shiggaon and Sandur. The Congress has fielded its candidates in three seats, while two contestants are in the fray from the BJP and one from the JD (S).
The Channapatna seat is witnessing a direct fight between Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy's son Nikhil Kumaraswamy, who is contesting under the JD (S) symbol as NDA candidate and CP Yogeshwara of the Congress party. The contest has become a matter of prestige between Dy CM and State Congress President DK Shivakumar's family and former PM HD Deve Gowda's family. Nikhil is the grandson of Gowda. The Vokkaliga and Muslim votes are in large numbers in the constituency.
The Congress has fielded Annapurna Tukaram, wife of former minister E. Tukaram, who resigned to contest the general election. The BJP has fielded Bangaru Hanumanthu, the State ST Morcha President.
The BJP has fielded former CM and BJP MP Basavaraj Bommai's son Bharat Bommai as its candidate and Yasir Ahmed Khan Pathan is the Congress party contestant from Shiggaon. The result is crucial for BJP and Basavaraj Bommai as he had held the seat earlier. Basavaraj Bommai has been camping in the constituency and working tirelessly to ensure the victory of his son. The Congress party suffered a setback initially as a senior Congress leader from the constituency Ajjampeer Khadri rebelled and filed for nomination as an independent candidate.
JDS Karnataka Youth Unit President Nikhil Kumaraswamy with Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy during his nomination rally from the Channapatana seat.
Photo Credit: ANI
Sandur seat, located in Bellary district, so far considered a fortress of the Congress party is being challenged by the BJP this time which has never won the seat to date. Sandur is ST reserve seat and the Maharshi Valmiki Tribal Welfare board scam is likely to impact the results in a big way. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had camped in Sandur for a week and carried out intense campaigning as the results here are crucial for the Congress party facing the allegation of tribal welfare scam.
Madhya Pradesh
A month-long high-voltage campaign for bypolls in Budhni and Vijaypur Assembly seats concluded as voters queued up to decided between the BJP and Congress.
Budhni, a high-profile chief ministerial seat represented by Union Minister for Agriculture Shivraj Singh Chouhan for the last 18 years, will see a contest between BJP's Ramakant Bhargava and former minister and Congress candidate Rajkumar Patel. The bypolls in Budhni is also been seen as a test of Chouhan's political legacy because the BJP has picked his loyalist Bhargava as his replacement.
In Vijaypur, state forest minister Ram Niwas Rawat is seeking re-election from the seat as a BJP candidate, and is pitted against Congress' Mukesh Malhotra, a tribal leader. In the last 15 Assembly elections, Congress won Vijaypur nine times and BJP managed to win six times.
Chhattisgarh
Bypoll to the Raipur City South assembly constituency in Chhattisgarh, for which 30 candidates are in the fray, were necessitated after sitting BJP legislator and former state minister Brijmohan Agrawal resigned following his election to the Lok Sabha from the Raipur parliamentary constituency.
As many as 30 candidates are in the fray for the bypoll, though it is largely seen as a direct contest between the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress. The BJP has fielded Sunil Kumar Soni, a former Raipur MP and city Mayor, while the opposition's nominee Akash Sharma, a young face, is incumbent president of the state unit of the Youth Congress. Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai and Brijmohan Agrawal mainly led the canvassing of BJP while former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, Congress' state in-charge Sachin Pilot and the party's state unit chief Deepak Baij campaigned for the main opposition party.
BJP highlighted pro-women and pro-farmers measures taken by the government, which included the launch of the Mahtari Vandan Yojana, under which married women beneficiaries are being provided a monthly assistance of Rs 1,000. The Congress, during its campaign, accused BJP candidate Sunil Kumar Soni of being inactive during his tenure as MP from 2019 to 2024, and targeted the BJP government over "deteriorating" law and order situation in the state.
Meghalaya
In the Gambegre assembly constituency, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma's wife Mehtab Chandee Sangma is contesting on an NPP ticket, while Jingjang M. Marak from the Congress, Sadhiarani M. Sangma from the Trinamool Congress, Bernard N. Marak from the BJP and two independent candidates Sengkrabirth Marak and Jerry A Sangma are in the fray.
The by-election for the Gambegre constituency was necessitated after MLA Saleng A. Sangma representing the constituency was elected to the Lok Sabha. Of the 51 polling stations in the constituency in West Garo Hills district, 31 are identified as critical.
Though polling was also scheduled for two seats in Sikkim -- Soreng-Chakung and Namchi-Singhithang, Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) nominees Aditya Golay and Satish Chandra Rai have already been declared unopposed after their rivals withdrew from the race.
Gujarat
The triangular contest for Vav bypolls is between Congress candidate and former MLA Gulabsinh Rajput, BJP's Swarupji Thakor, and former MLA and BJP rebel candidate Mavji Patel, who is contesting as an independent, is being closely watched.
The election to Vav Assembly seat was necessitated after the incumbent Congress MLA from the seat, Geniben, won the Parliamentary elections from Banaskantha.
Inputs from agencies