Bypolls in UP's Mainpuri LS seat, six Assembly seats in five states today

The significance of the Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat lies in the fact that it is one of the last remaining bastions of the SP which is now keen on turning the tide against the BJP after the saffron party wrested Azamgarh and Rampur Lok Sabha seats in the by-elections held in June. The BJP on the other hand is keen on further asserting its electoral dominance in the largest State in the country by demolishing SOP in of its few remaining strongholds.

Hyderabad:By-elections will be held on Monday in the Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh and six Assembly constituencies in five states. Even as the outcome of the Mainpuri by-poll will not have any impact on the Government at the Centre as the BJP enjoys a comfortable majority, it has become a battle to gain a psychological advantage ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in 2024.

The by-poll has been necessitated by the death of Samajwadi Party (SP) patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav who represented the Mainpuri constituency. While SP in an apparent bid to gain sympathy vote has fielded Mulayam's elder daughter-in-law and SP president Akhilesh Yadav's wife Dimple Yadav from the seat, the BJP has pitted Raghuraj Singh Shakya, a former confidant of Mulayam's brother Shivpal Singh Yadav against Dimple.

The significance of the Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat lies in the fact that it is one of the last remaining bastions of the SP which is now keen on turning the tide against the BJP after the saffron party wrested Azamgarh and Rampur Lok Sabha seats in the by-elections held in June. The BJP on the other hand is keen on further asserting its electoral dominance in the largest State in the country by demolishing SOP in of its few remaining strongholds.

As for the Assembly by-elections, a direct contest between the BJP and the Samajwadi Party-Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) alliance is on the cards in bypolls to the Rampur Sadar Assembly seat and Khatauli assembly seats.

The by-polls, in Rampur Sadar and Khatauli, were necessitated after SP MLA Azam Khan and BJP MLA Vikram Singh Saini were disqualified following their conviction in separate cases. While Khan was disqualified after a court awarded him three-year imprisonment in a 2019 hate speech case, Saini lost his membership of the assembly after his conviction in a 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots case.

As for the Sardarshahar seat in Rajasthan is necessitated by the death of Congress MLA Bhanwar Lal Sharma (77) on October 9 following a prolonged illness. While Congress has fielded the late Sharma's son Anil Kumar, former MLA Ashok Kumar will contest on a BJP ticket. Eight other candidates are also in the fray.

The by-election to the Padampur Assembly constituency in Odisha was necessitated by the death of BJD legislator Bijay Ranjan Singh Bariha. It assumes significance following the ruling BJD's defeat in Dhamnagar, its first such defeat since 2009. BJD's loss has triggered speculations in the political circle that the outcome will result would also indicate if electoral scales were tilting against the Naveen Patnaik-led party ahead of 2024 state elections.

BJD has fielded the deceased MLA's daughter who is pitted against BJP's Pradip Purohit, a former MLA, and Congress candidate and three-time legislator Satya Bhusan Sahu, among others.

The bypoll to Bhanupratappur seat in Chattisgarh, reserved for Scheduled Tribes, in the Maoist-hit Kanker was necessitated as Congress MLA and deputy speaker of the Assembly Manoj Singh Mandavi passed away last month. Even though seven candidates are in the fray it will most likely be a direct contest between the ruling Congress and the BJP.

While Congress has fielded Savitri Mandavi, the wife of the deceased MLA, while the BJP nominee is former MLA Brahmanand Netam. Sarva Adivasi Samaj, an umbrella body of tribal communities in Bastar, has also fielded former Indian Police Service Officer Akbar Ram Korram, who is contesting as an Independent. Korram retired as Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of the Police in 2020.

As for the Kurhani Assembly seat in Bihar, if JD(U) candidate Manoj Singh Kushwaha, a former MLA emerge victorious, it will cement Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's position while a loss will encourage his detractors to further intensify their attack on him. The bypoll was necessitated by the disqualification of RJD MLA Anil Kumar Sahani.

Meanwhile, a day ahead of the Mainpuri Lok Sabha bypoll, Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia) president Shivpal Singh Yadav on Sunday alleged drones are being used to monitor his party workers and his home.

"Drones are being used to monitor our party workers and those who live in our house. The SS Memorial School, our residence, and the places where we halt are being raided. This is a breach of privacy," he told reporters.