Vote counting is currently underway for seven assembly seats located in six states: Bageshwar in Uttarakhand, Ghosi in Uttar Pradesh, Puthuppally in Kerala, Dhupguri in West Bengal, Dumri in Jharkhand, and Boxanagar and Dhanpur in Tripura.
Preliminary trends show that Chandy Oommen, a Congress candidate, is leading in Puthuppally, Kerala. In Tripura’s Boxanagar, BJP’s Tafajjal Hossain is in the lead, while in Bageshwar, Uttarakhand, BJP’s Parwati Dass is ahead. Yashoda Devi, an All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) candidate, is leading in Dumri, Jharkhand, and Bindu Debnath, a BJP candidate, is in the lead in Dhupguri, West Bengal, according to information released on the official website of the Election Commission.
These by-elections took place on Tuesday, September 5, and hold significance as they serve as a potential gauge for the opposition alliance against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leading up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
One noteworthy by-election occurred in Kerala’s Puthuppally Assembly seat following the passing of former Kerala Chief Minister and Congress leader Oommen Chandy. Oommen Chandy had held the Puthuppally seat for 12 consecutive terms from 1970 to 2023. His son, Chandy Oommen, is contesting in Puthuppally, while the CPI (M) ruling party has nominated Jaick C Thomas as their candidate.
In Tripura’s Dhanpur, a by-election became necessary after BJP’s Pratima Bhoumik resigned to retain her Lok Sabha seat, leaving the assembly seat vacant. Her brother, Bindu Debnath, is contesting for the BJP against Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) candidate Kaushik Chanda in the by-election.
In Tripura’s Boxanagar seat, the BJP and CPI (M) are competing against each other, following the death of CPI (MK) MLA Samsul Haque.
The Bageshwar seat in Uttarakhand will witness a contest between the SP, Congress, and BJP. This by-election was prompted by the passing of BJP MLA Chandan Ram Dass.
Jharkhand’s Dumri by-election occurred after the death of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) MLA Jagarnath Mahto. JMM has nominated Mahto’s wife, Bebi Devi, representing the India bloc, against NDA’s Yashoda Devu and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) candidate Abdul Rizvi.
In West Bengal’s Dhupguri, a by-election became necessary following the passing of the BJP’s Bishnu Pada Ray. The BJP’s Tapas Ray is contesting against Nirma Chandra Roy and CPI (M) candidate Ishwar Chandra Roy.
