Bypolls for 15 assembly constituencies across Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Kerala, and Uttarakhand are set to take place on Wednesday, November 20. Voting will commence at 7 a.m., with vote counting scheduled for November 23.
Bypolls in UP
In Uttar Pradesh, byelections will be held in Katehari, Karhal, Meerapur, Ghaziabad, Majhawan, Sisamau, Khair, Phulpur, and Kundarki. A total of 90 candidates are contesting in these constituencies, with Ghaziabad having the highest number of candidates at 14. There are 34,35,974 registered voters in the state, comprising 18,46,846 men, 15,88,967 women, and 161 third-gender voters. Ghaziabad has the largest voter base, while Sisamau has the smallest.
This marks the first electoral challenge for the INDIA bloc and the NDA in the politically significant state since the Lok Sabha elections.
In the 2022 assembly elections, the SP secured victories in Sisamau, Katehari, Karhal, and Kundarki, while the BJP claimed Phulpur, Ghaziabad, Majhawan, and Khair. The Meerapur seat was won by the BJP’s ally, the RLD.
Bypolls in Punjab
In Punjab, four constituencies—Gidderbaha, Dera Baba Nanak, Chabbewal (SC), and Barnala—will go to the polls.
The by-elections were prompted by the fact that the legislators representing these constituencies were elected to the Lok Sabha during the general elections earlier this year.
Forty-five candidates, including three women, are in the fray. A total of 6.96 lakh voters are eligible to exercise their franchise.
The bypolls will decide the fate of key contestants, including BJP nominee and former Punjab finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal, Congress’s Amrita Warring, Jatinder Kaur, AAP’s Hardeep Singh Dimpy Dhillon, Dr Ishank Kumar Chabbewal and BJP’s Kewal Singh Dhillon, Sohan Singh Thandal and Ravikaran Singh Kahlon.
Amrita Warring is the wife of Punjab Congress chief and Ludhiana MP Amrinder Singh Raja Warring. Jatinder Kaur is the spouse of Gurdaspur MP and former Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa.
Besides Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, bypolls will also be held for the Palakkad seat in Kerala and Kedarnath in Uttarakhand.
