The process of tabulating the votes for seven assembly seats in six different states, which underwent by-elections on Tuesday, September 5th, will be conducted at designated centers within each respective state on Friday. These by-poll results are being closely watched as a litmus test for the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc in its competition against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led NDA, especially in the lead-up to five state assembly elections later this year and the pivotal Lok Sabha polls scheduled for 2024.
These seven seats in question are distributed across various regions, encompassing Bageshwar in Uttarakhand, Ghosi in Uttar Pradesh, Puthuppally in Kerala, Dhupguri in West Bengal, Dumri in Jharkhand, and Boxanagar and Dhanpur in Tripura.
Voter turnout figures reveal noteworthy trends. While the BJP had previously held the Bageshwar, Dhupguri, and Dhanpur seats, the Ghosi seat was under the control of the Samajwadi Party, Boxanagar was claimed by the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Dumri by Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), and Puthuppally was in the hands of the Congress.
In the Ghosi Assembly constituency of Uttar Pradesh, only 49.42 percent of eligible voters participated in the by-election held on Tuesday. Jharkhand's Dumri recorded a turnout of 64.84 percent, while Bageshwar in Uttarakhand saw 55.35 percent voter engagement. In contrast, Tripura's Boxanagar and Dhanpur reported remarkable voter turnouts of 86.34 percent and 81.88 percent, respectively, whereas Bengal's Dhupguri saw 74.35 percent participation.
Examining the candidates fielded in these by-polls adds depth to the electoral landscape. In Ghosi, the by-election became necessary after Dara Singh Chauhan, who had won the seat in the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, rejoined the BJP following his resignation from the Samajwadi Party. The BJP nominated Chauhan as their candidate, pitting him against the Samajwadi Party's Sudhakar Singh.
In Tripura's Dhanpur, the bye-election was triggered by the resignation of BJP's Pratima Bhoumik, who chose to retain her Lok Sabha seat, thereby leaving the assembly position vacant. Bindu Debnath, Bhoumik's brother, contested for the BJP, challenging the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) candidate Kaushik Chanda in Dhanpur during the by-polls.
The Boxanagar seat in Tripura witnessed a contest between the BJP and CPI (M) after the demise of CPI (MK) MLA Samsul Haque. Uttarakhand's Bageshwar seat became a battleground for the Samajwadi Party, Congress, and the BJP, following the demise of BJP MLA Chandan Ram Dass.
The demise of Congress veteran Oomen Chandy led to the polls in Kerala's Puthupally seat, with Congress fielding Oommen Chandy's son, Chandy Oomen, while the ruling CPI (M) nominated Jaick C. Thomas for this constituency.
Lastly, the bypoll in Jharkhand's Dumri ensued after the passing of JMM MLA Jagarnath Mahto. JMM put forward Mahto's wife, Bebi Devi, as their candidate against NDA's Yashoda Devu and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) candidate Abdul Rizvi.
In West Bengal's Dhupguri, the necessity for the bye-election arose following the demise of the BJP's Bishnu Pada Ray. The BJP's Tapas Ray contested against Nirma Chandra Roy and CPI (M) candidate Ishwar Chandra Roy.
