Hyderabad: In a significant test for the INDIA bloc against the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the counting of votes for seven assembly seats contested on September 5 was held on Friday. The results of these by-polls have important implications for upcoming state elections and the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The Opposition bloc managed to secure victories in four of the seven seats, while the BJP emerged victorious in three.
BJP's Early Wins in Tripura
The day began with the BJP securing victories in two seats in Tripura. Tafajjal Hossain and Bindu Debnath, BJP candidates, emerged victorious in Boxanagar and Dhanpur seats, respectively, with impressive margins of 30,237 and 18,871 votes.
Congress Retains Puthuppally Seat in Kerala
In Kerala, Congress's Chandy Oommen managed to retain the Puthuppally seat, which his father and former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy had held for over five decades. Chandy Oommen, a 37-year-old Congress leader, defeated the ruling CPI(M)'s candidate, Jaick C Thomas, by a margin of over 36,000 votes, surpassing his father's victory margin. The by-poll was held following Oommen Chandy's unfortunate demise in July. It's worth noting that Congress and CPI(M) are allies in the INDIA bloc.
BJP Retains Bageshwar Seat in Uttarakhand
The BJP retained Uttarakhand's Bageshwar seat as Parwati Dass secured a victory by over 2,400 votes, defeating Congress's Basant Kumar.
JMM's Victory in Dumri, Jharkhand
In Jharkhand, Bebi Devi of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (a constituent of the INDIA alliance) won the Dumri by-poll with a comfortable margin of over 17,000 votes, defeating her nearest rival, AJSU's Yashoda Devi.
Trinamool Congress Wins Dhupguri Seat in West Bengal
In West Bengal, the INDIA grouping faced a challenging situation similar to those seen in Kerala and Uttarakhand. Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress wrested the Dhupguri seat from the BJP, defeating it by over 4,300 votes. Interestingly, the INDIA partner Congress backed a candidate from its bitter rival, CPI(M), in this contest.
Samajwadi Party Triumphs in Ghosi, Uttar Pradesh
In the crucial seat of Uttar Pradesh's Ghosi, the Samajwadi Party, supported by INDIA partners, emerged victorious by defeating the BJP with a margin of over 42,000 votes.
Bypolls as a Test for INDIA Bloc vs. BJP
The results of these by-polls are seen as a significant test for the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). This test comes ahead of the five state assembly elections scheduled later this year and the crucial Lok Sabha polls in 2024.
Voter Turnout Varied Across States
While voter turnout varied across the states, Uttar Pradesh's Ghosi Assembly constituency witnessed only 49.42% of electorates casting their votes for the by-election. In contrast, Jharkhand's Dumri recorded a higher turnout of 64.84%, while Bageshwar in Uttarakhand registered a 55.35% voting rate. Tripura's Boxanagar and Dhanpur had impressively high voter turnout percentages of 86.34% and 81.88%, respectively. In West Bengal, Dhupguri recorded a turnout of 74.35%.
Background on Bypolls
These by-polls were conducted in seats that were previously held by different parties. For instance, Bageshwar, Dhupguri, and Dhanpur seats were previously held by the BJP, while the Ghosi seat was held by the Samajwadi Party. Additionally, Boxanagar was held by the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Dumri by Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), and Puthuppally by the Congress. In Uttar Pradesh's Ghosi, the by-poll was necessitated after Dara Singh Chauhan, who had won the seat in the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, rejoined the BJP after resigning from the Samajwadi Party.
In Tripura's Dhanpur, the bye-election was required when the BJP's Pratima Bhoumik resigned to retain her Lok Sabha seat, leaving the assembly vacant. Bhoumik's brother Bindu Debnath contested for the BJP against Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) candidate Kaushik Chanda in Dhanpur. In Tripura's Boxanagar, the BJP and CPI (M) contested against each other after the seat fell vacant following the death of CPI (M) MLA Samsul Haque.
The by-election in Uttarakhand's Bageshwar saw a battle between the Samajwadi Party, Congress, and the BJP. It was prompted by the death of BJP MLA Chandan Ram Dass. The by-poll in Kerala's Puthupally was necessitated after the passing of Congress veteran Oommen Chandy. Congress fielded Oommen Chandy's son, Chandy Oomen, while the CPI(M) fielded Jaick C. Thomas from this constituency.
In Jharkhand's Dumri, the by-poll was required following the death of JMM MLA Jagarnath Mahto. JMM fielded Mahto's wife, Bebi Devi, in the contest against NDA's Yashoda Devi and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) Abdul Rizvi.
In West Bengal's Dhupguri, the bye-election was necessary after the passing of the BJP's Bishnu Pada Ray. The BJP had wrested the seat from the TMC, which had won it twice since 2011, in the 2021 assembly polls. This year, Tapas Ray from the BJP contested against Nirma Chandra Roy and CPI(M) candidate Ishwar Chandra Roy.
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