Page 2 - Bypolls

Now, notification for Rampur assembly bypoll to be issued on Nov 11: EC

The Election Commission has issued a revised schedule for the Rampur assembly bypoll and the notification for the electoral contest will be issued on Friday. The decision of the poll panel came after the additional sessions judge refused to grant a stay on the conviction of Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Mohammed Azam Khan. Polling will still be held on December 5 along with the second phase of Gujarat elections and other bypolls, including the one for Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat which fell vacant after the demise of SP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav. The vacancy in Rampur assembly constituency of Uttar Pradesh occurred on October 27 after the disqualification of Azam Khan following his conviction in a hate speech case. The commission had announced the schedule for Rampur by-election along with other vacancies in various states. According to the earlier schedule, the notification for the bypolls, including that in Rampur, was to be issued on Thursday. A writ petition in Mohammad Azam Khan V

Uttar Pradesh bypolls: Congress not to contest in Mainpuri, Khatauli

The by-election to Mainpuri Lok Sabha and Khatauli Assembly seats is scheduled for December 5

Hopeful RLD candidate will be fielded for Khatauli bypoll: Jayant

Rashtriya Lok Dal president Jayant Chaudhary Tuesday said he hoped that his party's candidate will be fielded for the Khatauli bypoll as part of an alliance with the Samajwadi Party. Chaudhary, a Rajya Sabha MP, was here to inaugurate a volleyball competition. He was replying to queries by newspersons on the December 5 by-election to the Khatauli seat announced by the Election Commission earlier in the day. The Khatauli bypoll was necessitated after BJP MLA Vikram Saini was last month convicted in a 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots case and handed a two-year jail term. The bypolls to the Rampur assembly seat and the Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat will also be held on December 5. Upon his conviction, Saini was disqualified as a lawmaker. The Uttar Pradesh Assembly Secretariat notified the Khatauli seat as vacant on Monday. Chaudhary said the RLD had contested the Khatauli seat in the elections last time as part of the SP-RLD alliance and he was hopeful that the candidate for the bypoll to the seat

Bypolls in six states: BJP wins in 4 of 7 Assembly seats; loses to TRS

RJD, Shiv Sena (Uddhav) win one each

Bihar Assembly by-polls: RJD candidate Neelam Devi wins in Mokama

RJD candidate Neelam Devi won the battle of Mokama. Neelam Devi is the wife of Bahubali leader Anant Singh, who defeated BJP candidate Sonam Devi with a margin of nearly 17,000 votes.

Bihar bypolls: RJD takes lead in two assembly seats, BJP trailing

The RJD has established a lead in the two assembly seats of Mokama and Gopalganj in Bihar after the first round of counting, with BJP nominees found trailing, Election Commission trends revealed. In Mokama, Neelam Devi garnered 4,159 votes after the first round, and BJP's Sonam Devi 3,508 votes. Mohan Gupta of the RJD is leading in Gopalganj with 2,713 votes. He is followed by Kusum Devi of the BJP with 1,798 votes. Of the 6.10 lakh voters -- Gopalganj (3.31 lakh) and Mokama (2.70 lakh) 52.3 per cent had exercised their franchise in the two seats on November 3, he said. A total of 619 polling booths were set up in the two constituencies. Fifteen candidates are in the fray -- nine in Gopalganj and six in Mokama. This is the first electoral face-off between the ruling Grand Alliance (GA) and the opposition BJP in Bihar after the change of government in August this year, when Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's party JD-U snapped ties with the saffron party and aligned with Lalu Prasad's

Assembly bypolls: Counting of votes on seven seats in six states underway

Counting of votes is underway on Sunday in the by-election to seven assembly constituencies in six states including former chief minister Bhajan Lal's family bastion Admapur in Haryana. Bhajan Lal's grandson Bhavya Bishnoi, who contested on a BJP ticket, and RJD's Neelam Devi, whose husband Anant Singh's disqualification necessitated the by-election in Bihar's Mokama, are among the prominent candidates in the fray. The other constituencies where results of the November 3 bypolls will be out were Gopalganj in Bihar, Andheri (East) of Maharashtra, Munugode of Telangana, Gola Gokarannath of Uttar Pradesh, and Dhamnagar of Odisha. Among the seven seats which witnessed a stiff contest between the BJP and the regional parties, the saffron party held three and the Congress two, while the Shiv Sena and the RJD had one each. For the bypolls in Bihar, the main contest is between the BJP and the RJD, and the saffron party's main contenders in Haryana are the Congress, INLD and the AAP. Main

Political parties in Odisha start preparations for Dec 5 Padmapur bypoll

Political parties have begun preparations for the December 5 by-election in Padmapur assembly constituency in Odisha's Bargarh district. Although no nominee has been decided yet, parties have started tasking senior leaders with selection, and names are being discussed for candidature. The Congress has set up a committee headed by senior leader Kishore Patel for candidate selection, while the BJD is awaiting Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to select a name. The BJP may field its former MLA Pradip Purohit. Odisha's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) S K Lohani said the model code of conduct has come into force in the entire district with the announcement of the polls during the day. The seat was laying vacant after the death of BJD MLA Bijay Ranjan Singh Bariha on October 3. Lohani said the formal notification on the bypoll will be issued on November 10. As per the schedule, candidates can file their nomination papers till November 17, while the last date for withdrawal of candidatures h

Assembly bypolls: Counting of votes on seven seats in six states on Sunday

Counting of votes will be held on Sunday in the by-election to seven assembly constituencies in six states including former chief minister Bhajan Lal's family bastion Admapur in Haryana. Bhajan Lal's grandson Bhavya Bishnoi, who contested on a BJP ticket, and RJD's Neelam Devi, whose husband Anant Singh's disqualification necessitated the by-election in Bihar's Mokama, are among the prominent candidates in the fray. The other constituencies where results of the November 3 bypolls will be out were Gopalganj in Bihar, Andheri (East) of Maharashtra, Munugode of Telangana, Gola Gokarannath of Uttar Pradesh, and Dhamnagar of Odisha. Among the seven seats which witnessed a stiff contest between the BJP and the regional parties, the saffron party held three and the Congress two, while the Shiv Sena and the RJD had one each. For the bypolls in Bihar, the main contest is between the BJP and the RJD, and the saffron party's main contenders in Haryana are the Congress, INLD and the AAP. Main

Haryana's Adampur assembly in Hisar clocks 76.45% poll turnout: EC

A total turnout of 76.45 per cent was recorded in Haryana's Adampur Assembly segment in Hisar district where bypolls were held on Thursday. Till last reports came on Thursday, the poll percentage was 75.25 and officials had said the final figure may slightly increase once the entire data is compiled. On Friday, the Election Commission of India data showed that Adampur recorded a poll percentage of 76.45 percent. The outcome of the bypoll will decide if the Bhajan Lal family retains the family bastion of five decades. Bhavya Bishnoi, grandson of former chief minister Bhajan Lal, had entered the fray as a BJP candidate. Counting of votes will be taken up on November 6. The main parties which contested the polls were the BJP, Congress, Indian National Lok Dal, and Aam Aadmi Party. The bypoll was necessitated after former Haryana chief minister Bhajan Lal's younger son Kuldeep Bishnoi resigned as MLA and switched from the Congress to the BJP in August. Bhavya is Kuldeep's son. Forme

Assembly by-elections: More than 45% voter turnout recorded till 3 pm

An average voter turnout of 45.60 per cent was recorded till 3 pm Thursday in the by-elections to seven assembly constituencies underway in six states, including Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. The polling is being held in Mokama and Gopalganj assembly constituencies of Bihar, Andheri (East) of Maharashtra, Adampur of Haryana, Munugode of Telangana, Gola Gokarannath of Uttar Pradesh, and Dhamnagar of Odisha. Among the seven seats where bypolls are being held, the BJP held three seats and the Congress two, while the Shiv Sena and the RJD had one each. The contest is symbolic of the fierce turf war between the BJP and the regional parties. For the bypolls in Bihar, the main contest is between the BJP and the RJD, and the saffron party's main contenders in Haryana are the Congress, INLD and the AAP. In Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and Odisha, the main contests are between the BJP and the TRS, SP and the BJD respectively. The Munugode assembly bypoll recorded the highest turnout till 3 pm of 59.9

Assembly bypolls: Voting underway in seven constituencies in six states

Voting was underway on Thursday in the by-election to seven assembly constituencies in six states a contest symbolic of the fierce turf war between the BJP and regional parties. The polling is being held in Mokama and Gopalganj assembly constituencies of Bihar, Andheri (East) of Maharashtra, Adampur of Haryana, Munugode of Telangana, Gola Gokarannath of Uttar Pradesh, and Dhamnagar of Odisha. Authorities have made elaborate arrangements for the voting. Among the seven seats where bypolls are being held, the BJP held three seats and the Congress two, while the Shiv Sena and the RJD had one each. For the bypolls in Bihar, the main contest is between the BJP and the RJD, and the saffron party's main contenders in Haryana are the Congress, INLD and the AAP. In Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and Odisha, the main contests are between the BJP and the TRS, SP and the BJD respectively. While a victory in the bypolls will be inconsequential to their position in the assemblies, the parties have n

Munugodu bypolls: Telangana BJP chief Bandi Sanjay detained after protest

Telangana BJP president Bandi Sanjay staged a protest demanding that non-locals and TRS leaders should be sent out of the Munugodu constituency, where the bypolls are being conducted today.

Polling underway in Telangana's Munugode assembly constituency bypoll

Polling was underway amid tight security in the bypoll to Munugode Assembly constituency in Telangana on Thursday. Voting began at 7 am and will continue till 6 am. Over 2.41 lakh voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in the election. There are a total of 298 polling stations and web casting would be done from all of them. Of the total, 105 booths have been identified as 'critical.' The Election Commission has made elaborate arrangements for polling, including deployment of 3,366 state police and 15 companies of central security personnel. The bypoll has been necessitated by the resignation of sitting Congress MLA Komatireddy Raj Gopal Reddy from the party from his post in August. He has joined the BJP and is seeking re-election. While 47 candidates are in the fray, the main contest is confined to Raj Gopal Reddy (BJP), former MLA Kusukuntla Prabhakar Reddy of TRS and Congress' Palvai Sravanthi. The bypoll has assumed a critical political significance as the winner woul

Assembly byelections 2022: Polls for 7 vacant seats over 6 states tomorrow

Voting will be held on Thursday in bypolls to seven assembly seats in six states - a contest symbolic of the fierce turf war between the BJP and regional parties. While in Haryana former chief minister Bhajan Lal's family is trying to hold on to its bastion of five decades, Bihar will see the first electoral test for the Nitish Kumar-led 'Mahagathbandhan' government, formed less than three months ago after the JD(U) parted ways with the BJP. The saffron party is seeking to retain Gola Gorakhnath seat in Uttar Pradesh and Dhamnagar in BJD-ruled Odisha, banking on sympathy votes as it has fielded the sons of sitting MLAs whose death necessitated the bypolls. The BJP and the ruling TRS had been campaigning aggressively in Manugoda in Telangana, where the Congress MLA had resigned and is fighting on the saffron party's ticket. The Election Commission has made elaborate arrangements for polling, including the deployment of 3,366 state police and 15 companies of central security personne

Andheri East bypoll:MNS chief thanks Fadnavis after BJP withdraws candidate

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray on Monday thanked Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for the BJP's decision to withdraw its candidate from the bypoll to Andheri East Assembly seat in Mumbai. In a letter written to Fadnavis, Thackeray referred to the senior BJP leader as his dear friend and said it is essential to have a positive political culture. He said the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) is always in favour of proliferation of such a positive culture. I am thankful that you responded to this (appeal), Thackeray said. Thackeray had on Sunday written another letter to Fadnavis, asking the ruling BJP to pull out of the bypoll race to show reverence to late Shiv Sena MLA Ramesh Latke, whose death necessitated the byelection. Latke died of cardiac arrest in May this year. BJP's Murji Patel, who withdrew his nomination papers on Monday, was pitted against the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction's candidate Rutuja Latke, the wife of Ramesh Latke. NCP chief Sh

Andheri East bypoll: Let Rutuja Latke be elected unopposed, says Pawar

Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday sought the unopposed election of Rutuja Latke, the candidate of the Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena, in the Andheri East Assembly bypoll scheduled for November 3. Rutuja Latke, the wife of Ramesh Latke, whose death necessitated the bypoll, is up against the Bharatiya Janata Party's Murji Patel. Incidentally, October 17 is the last date for withdrawal of nominations. "The term for the new member (MLA) will be just one-and-half years. The bypoll is being held because of the unfortunate death of Ramesh Latke. His wife is contesting the seat. Latke was a corporator and an MLA. His contribution must be taken into consideration," Pawar said. Huge efforts go into fighting bypolls, which is not required when the term is just for around one year, he said, adding that five to six months are spent with the election code of conduct in place. He also hailed the Bombay High Court order directing the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corpora

Bypolls in 7 assembly seats: All eyes on Sena factions in Andheri East

The assembly bypolls in Bihar and Maharashtra, scheduled for November 3, are set to be the first electoral test of the popularity of the respective state governments after a change in the political alignment. The BJP and Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena are pitted against each other for the Andheri East assembly seat, the first test of a popular mandate after Eknath Shinde led a rebellion within the Shiv Sena to topple the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government in the state. Shinde succeeded Thackeray as Maharashtra Chief Minister after getting support of 40 of the Shiv Sena's 55 MLAs. The BJP has fielded Murji Patel against Thackeray faction candidate Rutuja Latke in the bypoll that has seen opposition parties - Congress, NCP and the Left joining hands against the BJP. The bypoll was necessitated due to the death of sitting Sena MLA Ramesh Latke. In Bihar, the assembly bypolls of Mokama and Gopalganj are the first electoral test for Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who dumped the pre-poll

Bihar by-polls 2022: Eighteen candidates file nomination papers

Altogether 18 candidates filed their nominations till Friday, the last date of filing nomination papers for by-elections to Mokama and Gopalganj assembly segments in Bihar, an official said. While 11 candidates filed their nomination papers in Gopalganj, seven did the same in Mokama, Deputy Election Officer, Bihar, Ashok Priyadarshi told PTI-Bhasha. By-elections to the two seats have been necessitated by the death of sitting BJP MLA from Gopalganj Subhash Singh and disqualification of RJD's Anant Singh who represented Mokama. In Gopalganj, the deceased MLA's wife Kusum Devi's bid to retain the seat for the party is being challenged by Mohan Prakash Gupta of the RJD though the pitch has been queered by the entry of BSP candidate Indira Yadav. Yadav is married to Sadhu Yadav, an estranged brother-in-law of RJD president Lalu Prasad. Sadhu Yadav had won the seat in 2000. The seat falls in the district of the same name to which both Prasad and his wife Rabri Devi, Sadhu Yadav's elde

BJP's Murji Patel files nomination for Andheri East Assembly bypoll

The Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Murji Patel filed nomination papers on Friday for the November 3 Andheri East Assembly by-election. He is the joint candidate of the BJP and the Shiv Sena faction headed by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Patel had unsuccessfully contested the 2019 Assembly polls from the same seat against Shiv Sena's Ramesh Latke, whose death earlier this year necessitated the by-election. "I am a worker of the BJP and do what the party asks me to do," Patel said before filing his nomination papers here. In a show of strength, Patel was accompanied by the BJP's Mumbai unit president Ashish Shelar, party MLC Pravin Darekar and MLA Nitesh Rane. Deepak Kesarkar, minister and spokesperson of the Eknath Shinde camp of the Shiv Sena, was also present. On Thursday, Kesarkar had said that the BJP and the 'Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena' headed by CM Shinde would field a joint candidate for the Assembly bypoll. From the Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena, Rut