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Bypolls 2023: Jalandhar Lok Sabha, 4 assembly seats in UP, Odisha, Meghalaya vote today
Bypolls 2023: A four-cornered contest is in the offing with with the ruling AAP, Congress, BJP, SAD vying to outdo each other in Jalandhar Lok Sabha bypoll.
The voting for bypolls for the Jalandhar parliamentary constituency in Punjab and assembly constituencies of Chhanbey and Suar in Uttar Pradesh, Jharsuguda in Odisha, and Sohiong in Meghalaya began on Wednesday amid tight security. The counting of votes will be conducted on May 13.
1. Jalandhar Lok Sabha constituency:
A four-cornered electoral contest is in the offing with with the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) vying to outdo each other in the high-stakes Jalandhar Lok Sabha bypoll.
A total of 16,21,800 voters will seal the fate of 19 candidates (15 male and four female) in the fray. The authorities have set up 1,972 polling stations across the nine assembly segments under the Jalandhar parliamentary constituency.
The Jalandhar parliamentary constituency fell vacant after Congress MP Santokh Singh Chaudhary died following a cardiac arrest while taking part in the party's Bharat Jodo Yatra on January 14 this year.
The AAP has fielded former MLA Sushil Rinku who quit the Congress to join the Punjab's ruling party while the Congress has shown its faith in Karamjit Kaur, the wife of Santokh Chaudhary.The BJP has fielded Inder Iqbal Singh Atwal, a Dalit Sikh, who quit the Shiromani Akali Dal to join the saffron wing while, The SAD has fielded its two-time MLA from Banga seat Sukhwinder Kumar Sukhi, who is a doctor.
The bypoll is being seen as a test of the one-year performance of the Bhagwant Mann government which has been harping on freebies, jobs, corruption, opening mohalla clinics, among others.
2. Suar assembly constituency, Rampur, UP
The bypolls in UP are likely to witness another contest between the BJP-led ruling coalition and the Samajwadi Party (SP), the main opposition. A tough contest is expected in Rampur’s Suar assembly seat where Samajwadi party (SP)leader Azam Khan and his son Abdullah Khan have campaigned for the party while BJP despite leaving the seat for its ally Apna Dal (S) has actively campaigned.
The Suar seat, held by Abdullah Azam Khan, was declared vacant after a Moradabad court sentenced the MP to two years in jail in a 15-year-old case. In the 2022 UP elections, Abdullah Khan had defeated Apna Dal (Sonelal)'s Haidar Ali Khan by a margin of over 61,000 votes. There are over three lakh registered voters in Suar.
The SP has fielded Anuradha Chauhan from the seat and Apna Dal (Sonelal) has named Shafeek Ahmed Ansari. The Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party and Congress have not fielded the candidates on the seat. A total of six candidates are in the fray for this seat.
3. Chhanbey assembly constituency, Mirzapur, UP
In Chhanbey, a 'bahu vs beti’ narrative has taken shape where the wife of the former MP and daughter of former lawmaker are in the electoral contest.
The bypoll was caused due to death of sitting Apna Dal (S) MP Rahul Kol. The party has fielded Kol's wife Rinki Kol while Kirti Kol, daughter of former lawmaker Bhai Lal Kol is contesting as the SP candidate. A total of eight candidates are in the fray for this seat.
There are approximately 3.65 lakh eligible voters in Chhanbey.
4. Jharsuguda assembly constituency, Odisha
The bypoll to the Jharsuguda assembly constituency gained a significance as it is the last election before the Lok Sabha polls next year. Heavyweight campaigners from major political parties including Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Congress and BJP took part in the electioneering.
The by-election was necessitated following the murder of sitting MLA and the then Health Minister of the state Naba Kishore Das on January 29 this year.
A total of nine candidates are in the fray, though the contest is mainly between the BJD, BJP and Congress. BJD has fielded Das's daughter Deepali Das, while BJP has nominated Tankadhar Tripathy. Congress has fielded Tarun Pandey, the son of late MLA Biren Pandey.
A total of 2,21,070 people are eligible to exercise their franchise in 253 booths. There are 1,10,320 male electors, 1,10,687 women and 63 of the third gender.
5. Sohiong assembly constituency, Meghalaya
The bypoll to the Sohiong assembly constituency in Meghalaya was necessitated following the death of United Democratic Party (UDP) candidate HDR Lyngdoh ahead of the assembly elections scheduled on February 27 this year. Polling to Sohiong was then postponed due to Lyngdoh's death.
A total of six candidates, Synshar Lyngdoh Thabah of the UDP, Samlin Malngiang of the National People's Party (NPP), S Osborne Kharjana of the Congress, Sandondor Ryntathiang of the Hill State People's Democratic Party (HSPDP), Sereph E Kharbuki of the BJP, and Stodingstar Thabah of the TMC, are in the fray.
The polling which began at 7am will take place till 4 pm in 3,328 polling booths, of which 1,100 have been identified as sensitive and 28 as critical.
(with inputs from agencies)
