E-Paper
Bye-election results: UP, Jalandhar poll outcome crucial as parties chalk 2024 strategy
Bye-election results: Apart from Jalandhar Lok Sabha constituency in Punjab, high stake contest lies in two seats of Uttar Pradesh, one in Meghalaya.
Multiple election results are due on Saturday which will shape the strategies of political parties as they chalk strategies for the much anticipated 2024 Lok Sabha elections. While Karnataka may witness a government change if the Congress stages a comeback, Uttar Pradesh civic body election is a litmus test of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s ‘triple engine government’ poll plank.
Apart from these, the Election Commission of India is also prepared to announce the outcome of the bye-election held in five constituencies, one Lok Sabha and four assembly seats, equally crucial to gauge the pulse of the electorate as these are among the key regions to study the nature of shifting political power.
A dive into bye-elections in these constituencies, their importance and implication:
1)Jalandhar Lok Sabha constituency in Punjab: The constituency faced a four-cornered electoral battle as the ruling Aam Aadmi Party, the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal are hoping to outdo each other in the Dalit stronghold. The region has traditionally been a Congress citadel, where the bye-election was prompted after the death of MP Santokh Chaudhary who passed away in January due to a heart attack during the Punjab leg of Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra. While the Congress fielded Chaudhary’s wife Karamjit Kaur, the party’s turncoat former MLA Sushil Rinku contested on an AAP ticket. This is also a first for the BJP to contest its Lok Sabha election independently, a tough challenge after snapping ties with SAD. It fielded Akali turncoat Inder Iqbal Singh Atwal, meanwhile, Sukhwinder Kumar Sukhi is SAD’s bet. The stakes for all parties are quite high as the Jalandhar Lok Sabha segment has been a Congress stronghold since 1999, but it saw AAP’s emergence during the 2022 assembly election. While Congress hopes to continue its streak, the election is an existential battle for the SAD, which won only three seats in 2022.
2)Suar and Chhanbey seats in Uttar Pradesh: The bypolls in two seats are a direct contest between the ruling coalition and the opposition Samajwadi Party. While the result will not have any preemptive impact on the constitution of the assembly, it is sure to serve as a morale booster ahead of the general election. While the Bahujan Samaj Party decided not to contest, the Congress placed its bet only in Chhanbey. Here, mainly the Suar seat is in focus as it was held by SP leader Azam Khan’s son Abdullah Azam Khan until his conviction in an old case in February. The BJP is hoping to snatch this seat which lies in Rampur district, seen as Azam Khan’s citadel. Notably, Khan himself was disqualified from the Assembly last year after his conviction in a hate speech case. While SP has fielded Anuradha Chauhan from the Suar seat, the BJP ally Apna Dal (Sonelal) has named Shafeek Ahmed Ansari. Also, for the Chhanbey seat in Mirzapur a total of eight candidates are in the fray.
3)Jharsuguda seat in Odisha: The seat witnessed an intense campaigning for the election necessitated after the murder of sitting MLA Naba Kishore Das in January, who also served as the health minister in the Naveen Patnaik government. The ruling Biju Janata Dal party fielded Das's daughter Deepali Das, while the BJP’s candidate is Tankadhar Tripathy. The Congress has fielded Tarun Pandey. All three candidates are debutant contestants and the main contenders, although a total of nine candidates fought the election.
4) Sohiong assembly constituency in Meghalaya: While a moderate voter turnout was seen on other seats, the Sohiong assembly witnessed a stunning 91.87% polling in the bye-election, with a higher participation of women voters. The bye-poll was conducted after the death of the sitting MLA from the United Democratic Party (UDP) HDR Lyngdoh, who died while campaigning for the February assembly election. The campaign saw bitter political attacks between the two coalition partners of the ruling Meghalaya Democratic Alliance, National People's Party (NPP) and UDP as the two parties could not reach an understanding for the poll. Here, six candidates are in the fray.
