The Chief Election Commissioner, Rajiv Kumar, announced that these by-elections will coincide with the Lok Sabha elections starting on April 19. The states where the by-elections are due include Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu.
In Himachal Pradesh, six assembly seats – Dharamshala, Lahaul and Spiti, Sujanpur, Barsar, Gagret, and Kutlehar – will go to polls on June 1 along with the Lok Sabha elections.
This follows the disqualification of Congress MLAs Sudhir Sharma, Ravi Thakur, Rajinder Rana, Inder Dutt Lakhanpal, Chaitanya Sharma, and Devinder Kumar for going against the party whip during a crucial vote on the state budget.
Notably, in Gujarat, elections for five assembly constituencies will be held on May 7 as the incumbent MLAs resigned to join the BJP. The bypoll for the Karnal seat in Haryana, vacated by former chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, is scheduled for May 25. Similar by-elections are set for the Agiaon assembly seat in Bihar, Duddhi in Uttar Pradesh, Baranagar in West Bengal, and other states on various dates in May and June.
The by-election for the Gainsari assembly seat in Uttar Pradesh will take place on May 25 following the demise of SP MLA Shiv Pratap Yadav. Meanwhile, the Gandey seat in Jharkhand and Lucknow East in Uttar Pradesh are also scheduled for bypolls on May 20 after vacancies arose due to resignations and unfortunate events.
In Karnataka and West Bengal, the by-elections for Shorapur and Bhagwangola seats respectively will be conducted on May 7 following the passing of sitting MLAs. The Bagidora seat in Rajasthan and Akola West in Maharashtra are set for polls on April 26 due to resignations and the passing of MLAs.
Lastly, the Ramnagar seat in Tripura will have a by-election on April 19 after the demise of BJP MLA Surajit Datta. Concurrently, the bypoll for the Vilavancode seat in Tamil Nadu, which became vacant due to the resignation of Congress MLA S Vidyadharini, will also be held on April 19.
These by-elections across multiple states signify a significant political development and will play a crucial role in shaping the political landscape in the respective regions. Voters are urged to participate in the democratic process as the nation gears up for these important electoral events.