Bypolls

RS bypoll: BJP's Haryana candidate Kiran Choudhry files nomination

BJP leader Kiran Choudhry on Wednesday filed her nomination for the Rajya Sabha bypoll from Haryana, with some JJP rebel MLAs also extending support to her candidature. Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, state BJP president Mohan Lal Badoli, several party MLAs, the party's co-incharge for the state Biplab Kumar Deb and some JJP rebels were among those present when Choudhry submitted her nomination papers. Wednesday was the last day for filing nominations for the Rajya Sabha bypoll. The BJP named Choudhry as its nominee for the bypoll shortly after she resigned from the Assembly on Tuesday, nearly two months after she switched over from the Congress. She represented the Tosham seat in the Haryana Assembly. Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda had earlier said his party would not field a candidate for the Rajya Sabha seat as it did not have the numbers. Though BJP has numbers on its side in case of a contest, with the opposition unlikely to field a candidate, Choudhry appears set t

Reflects changing political climate in country: Congress on bypoll gains

The Congress on Saturday hailed its gains in the assembly bypolls in Himachal Pradesh and BJP-ruled Uttarakhand, saying the results "reflect the changing political climate in the country". The Congress won both the assembly bypolls in Uttarakhand and in Himachal Pradesh, it secured two out of the three seats where bye-elections were held. On the party's victories in Uttarakhand, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh, in a post on 'X', said, "Manglaur was wrested from the BSP and in the face of dirty tactics by the BJP. In Badrinath, the sitting MLA was a Congressman who had switched to the BJP during the Lok Sabha polls. He has been rightly punished by the people and the Congress has held on to the seat." "Both ways the results reflect the changing political climate in the country," he said. On the Himachal Pradesh bypoll results, Ramesh said that "all machinations of the BJP have failed miserably". "The Congress has won two of the assembly seats held by Independents who had be

'Anger at independents joining BJP aided Cong win Dehra, Nalagarh bypolls'

Resigning and switching to the BJP has proved costly for two Independent legislators of Himachal Pradesh who lost to Congress candidates from their seats on Saturday in the assembly bypolls. Congress candidate Kamlesh Thakur, the wife of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, defeated BJP's Hoshiyar Singh for the Dehra seat by a margin of 9,399 votes. Congress' Hardeep Singh Bawa defeated his nearest rival and BJP candidate K L Thakur in the bypoll to the Nalagarh assembly seat by 8,990 votes. Bawa is a five-time Indian National Trade Union Congress president. BJP's Ashish Sharma, however, managed to win the assembly bypolls from Hamirpur seat as he secured 1,571 votes more than nearest rival and Congress candidate Pushpender Verma. The bypoll results ensured that for the first time in the electoral history of the state, a husband and wife -- CM Sukhvinder Sukhu and Kamlesh Thakur -- would be members of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly. In another first, there will not be a single ..

News updates: India has given Buddha to the world, not war, says PM to Indians in Austria

From Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Austria visit to Mumbai's hit-and-run case, and from Bihar's bridge collapse to bypolls in seven states, catch all the latest news updates here

Assembly by-polls today: In Himachal's Dehra, CM Sukhu's wife in fray. List

Assembly by-polls update: By-elections for Himachal's Hamirpur, Dehra, and Nalagarh seats were announced following the resignation of three independent MLAs who joined the Bharatiya Janata Party

Bypolls to 5 legislative council vacancies in 4 states on July 12

Bypolls to fill five legislative council vacancies in four states will be held on July 12, the Election Commission said on Tuesday. Elections to three of the five seats were necessitated due to the resignation of members of legislative council (MLCs) and to the remaining two due to disqualification. In Karnataka, former chief minister Jagadish Shettar had resigned as an MLC in January. He had quit the BJP and joined the Congress after being denied a ticket to contest the election from the Dharwad Central Assembly seat which he represented. Shettar had later rejoined the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha polls and won the parliamentary election. A vacancy was created in the Uttar Pradesh legislative council when Swami Prasad Maurya quit the Samajwadi Party and resigned from the House in February. One seat each in Bihar and Andhra Pradesh fell vacant due to the disqualification of sitting members. Another seat in the Andhra Pradesh legislative council fell vacant in April when YSR Congres

BJP declares name of candidates for by-polls to 4 Assembly seats in Bengal

The BJP on Monday announced the name of Kalyan Chaubey and three new faces for the four assembly seats in West Bengal where by-polls are slated to be held on July 10. The ruling Trinamool Congress has already announced its candidates for the by-polls a few days back. The BJP has fielded Kalyan Chaubey from Maniktala constituency in Kolkata, Manas Kumar Ghosh from Raiganj in Uttar Dinajpur district, Manoj Kumar Biswas from Ranaghat Dakshin (SC) in Nadia district and Binay Kumar Biswas from Bagda (SC) seat. Both Manoj Kumar Biswas and Binay Kumar Biswas belong to the Matua community which has a significant chunk of voters in Ranaghat Dakshin and Bagda, both seats reserved for SCs. Chaubey had been defeated by TMC leader Sadhan Pandey in the 2021 assembly polls but the seat fell vacant after Pandey's death. The TMC has announced Krishna Kalyani from Raiganj, Mukut Mani Adhikari from Ranaghat-Dakshin, Supti Pandey from Maniktala and Madhuparna Thakur from Bagdah as their ...

TMC announces candidates for assembly by-elections in West Bengal

The ruling Trinamool Congress on Friday announced candidates for the July 10 by-elections to four assembly seats in West Bengal. The Mamata Banerjee-led party has nominated Krishna Kalyani from Raiganj seat and Mukut Mani Adhikari from Ranaghat-Dakshin constituency. Supti Pandey, the widow of former TMC MLA Sadhan Pandey, has been fielded from Maniktala seat in Kolkata, while Madhuparna Thakur has been nominated from Matua-dominated Bagda seat. Raiganj and Ranaghat assembly segments fell vacant after Kalyani and Adhikari, both BJP MLAs, switched over to the TMC and unsuccessfully contested the Lok Sabha polls. The Maniktala seat fell vacant after the death of Sadhan Pande in 2022. Bagda's sitting BJP MLA Biswajit Das had switched over to the TMC and unsuccessfully contested from the Bangaon Lok Sabha seat.

Himachal Congress ex-MLAs contesting assembly bypolls on BJP ticket

Facing a barrage of criticism, dubbed "bike hue (sold out) mafia" by Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, the six disqualified Congress MLAs contesting the assembly bypolls on a BJP ticket have resolved to fight fire with fire. Not apologetic and in a mood to retaliate, they say it is the public who voted for them that comes first and not the party they belong to. Rajinder Rana (Sujanpur), Sudhir Sharma (Dharamshala), Ravi Thakur (Lahaul & Spiti), Inder Dutt Lakhanpal (Barsar), Chaitanya Sharma (Gagret) and Devinder Kumar Bhutto (Kutlehar), along with three Independent lawmakers, voted for Harsh Mahajan -- the BJP's nominee in the Rajya Sabha election on February 27. Two days later, the six Congress MLAs were disqualified from the assembly for defying a party whip to be present in the House and vote in favour of the government. They later joined the BJP and were fielded from their respective constituencies on a saffron party ticket. Ever since the cross-voting ..

Cong confident of good show in Gujarat bypolls, yet to announce candidates

The Congress has expressed confidence about winning all the five vacant assembly seats in Gujarat where bypolls will be held along with the Lok Sabha elections on May 7 though it is yet to announce its candidates. Along with voting for the 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat on May 7, bypolls to five out of six assembly seats which fell vacant after the resignation of sitting MLAs, including four of the Congress and one independent, will be held the same day. While the ruling BJP has already given tickets to four Congress turncoat MLAs, including former state Congress chief Arjun Modhwadia and an independent legislator who joined the party after quitting his assembly membership, the opposition party has not yet announced its candidates for the bypolls. Though results of the bypolls will not alter the state assembly power structure as the BJP enjoys a huge majority in the House, the outcome will be crucial for the Congress's future in Gujarat, a state which was once its stronghold and wher

As MPs, Union ministers win Assembly elections, how likely are by-polls?

Resignation from Lok Sabha, replacing Union ministers and possible cabinet reshuffle months ahead of Lok Sabha elections 2024, are all on the table, with BJP MPs stating state Assembly seats

Live: Hoping to conclude successful FTA with India, says Rishi Sunak

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Bypoll results 2023: BJP wins in Tripura, Uttarakhand, Congress in Kerala

The bypolls are seen as a significant test for the Opposition alliance INDIA against the ruling BJP-led NDA, with implications for upcoming state elections and the 2024 Lok Sabha polls

INDIA vs BJP: Results for 7 assembly bypolls today, counting to begin soon

The seven seats include Bageshwar in Uttarakhand, Ghosi in Uttar Pradesh, Puthuppally in Kerala, Dhupguri in West Bengal, Dumri in Jharkhand, and Boxanagar and Dhanpur in Tripura

Assembly bypolls 2023 updates: Candidates, voter turnout, and more

Dumri in Jharkhand, Puthuppally in Kerala, Boxanagar and Dhanpur in Tripura, Bageshwar in Uttarakhand, Ghosi in Uttar Pradesh, and Dhupguri in West Bengal will be conducting by-polls today

WB Dhupguri bypoll: A litmus test for parties ahead of Lok Sabha elections

The triangular contest will be a litmus test for these major parties mainly for the INDIA bloc which are pitted against each other in Dhupguri

Seven Assembly seats across six states to go to bypolls on September 5

The seats to go to polls include Dumri in Jharkhand, Puthuppally in Kerala, Boxanagar and Dhanpur in Tripura, Bageshwar in Uttarakhand, Ghosi in Uttar Pradesh, and Dhupguri in West Bengal

BJP to gain from Tipra Motha's decision to not contest bypolls: Tripura CM

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha asserted that the BJP will gain from main opposition Tipra Motha's decision to not participate in the upcoming by-elections in the northeastern state. The CPI(M), however, claimed that the move would consolidate anti-BJP votes. The Tipra Motha on Friday said it will not support any party in the by-elections to two assembly constituencies -- Dhanpur and Boxanagar in Sepahijala district -- to be held on September 5. "The Tipra Motha's decision is significant as they did not join the opposition's bid to consolidate anti-BJP votes. Our party will certainly gain from this decision. I believe the BJP will win both the assembly constituencies by impressive margins," the CM told PTI. Saha, who has been leading the party's campaign trail for the by-elections, said that there was a "misconception" about the BJP among the people. In this year's assembly elections, the BJP lost the Boxanagar seat, which has over 50 per cent of voters from the minority communi

BJP announces candidates for September 5 Tripura assembly bypolls

The BJP has announced its candidates for the September 5 bypolls to Dhanpur and Boxanagar assembly constituencies in Tripura's Sepahijala district, a party leader said here on Wednesday. The party nominated Taffajal Hussain for the Boxanagar assembly seat and Bindu Debnath for the Dhanpur segment, he said. Hussain is a local leader of Boxanagar, while Debnath is the party's mandal president in Dhanpur. Senior leaders are going to Boxanagar and Dhanpur to begin booth-level campaign from today. Our candidates will file nomination papers on Thursday," Tripura BJP's media in-charge Sunit Sarkar said. The bypoll to the Boxanagar constituency was necessitated due to the death of CPI(M) MLA Samsul Haque. Union Minister Pratima Bhoumik's resignation as the MLA of Dhanpur necessitated the by-election to that seat. The CPI(M)-led Left Front has fielded Kaushik Chanda and Mijan Husain as its nominees for Dhanpur and Boxanagar assembly constituencies respectively. The last date for filing t

Voting begins for high-stakes Jalandhar Lok Sabha bypoll in Punjab

Polling began on Wednesday morning for the high-stakes Jalandhar Lok Sabha bypoll where a four-cornered electoral battle is in the offing with the AAP, Congress, BJP, and Shiromani Akali Dal vying to outdo each other in the Dalit stronghold. Amid tight security arrangements, voting for the Jalandhar parliamentary constituency began at 8 am and will continue till 6 pm, said officials. There are a total 16,21,800 eligible voters, including 8,44,904 males, 7,76,855 females, and 41 transgenders in the constituency. Nineteen candidates, including four women, are in the fray. The counting of votes will take place on May 13. There are 1,972 polling stations in the constituency and 497 of them have been identified as critical, officials said. A dedicated women-only polling station has been set up in all nine assembly constituencies, which are part of the Jalandhar parliamentary seat. The Jalandhar Lok Sabha (reserved) seat fell vacant following the death of Congress MP Santokh Singh ...