The Election Commission of India issued the notification for the November 3 bypolls to seven Assembly constituencies of Uttar Pradesh.
Termed as a semi-final before the 2022 UP Assembly elections, the bypolls are expected to be a four-cornered contest with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and Congress fielding their candidates on all the seats.
Nominations for the bypolls started from Friday and will end on October 16, while the scrutiny of papers will be done on October 17 and candidates can withdraw nominations till October 19. Polling will be held on November 3 and counting of votes will be taken up on November 10 along with the counting of votes of Bihar Assembly elections.
Of the seven UP Assembly constituencies going to bypolls, six were won by the BJP in March, 2017 Assembly polls and one by the SP.
While eight Assembly seats are vacant, the Election Commission did not announce bypoll for the Suar Tanda seat in Rampur as the Allahabad High Court is yet to give its judgement on a petition moved by disqualified SP legislator Abdullah Azam.
The High Court had earlier quashed Abdullah’s election from Suar Tanda constituency on the ground that he had submitted a forged birth certificate while filing his nomination and had later disqualified him from the membership of the Assembly.
Though the results of these seven seats would have no bearing on the strength of the BJP in the Assembly, it would be an indicator for the upcoming 2022 Assembly polls.
The Election Commission has issued new guidelines allowing only two people, including the candidate, during filing of nominations and only two vehicles inside the campus of the returning officer’s office due to coronavirus pandemic.
The candidates will have to submit their nominations online along with security deposit and only a copy of these would be submitted during physical presentation.
The Election Commission this time has allowed postal ballots to voters above 80 years of age. All voters would be given sanitised hand gloves to press the electronic voting machines.
The UP government has sought 35 companies of Central forces for the peaceful conduct of the bypolls.
The Assembly constituencies where bypolls will be held are Tundla in Firozabad district that fell vacant after the resignation of BJP’s SP Baghel who was elected to the Lok Sabha.
The Bangarmau seat in Unnao fell vacant due to the conviction of BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar in a rape case and his subsequent disqualification from the Assembly.
The Malhani seat in Jaunpur fell vacant due to the death of SP MLA Parasnath Yadav, the Deoria Sadar seat fell vacant due to the death of BJP MLA Janmejaya Singh while the Bulandshahr seat fell vacant due to BJP MLA Virendra Sirohi’s death.
Also, the Ghatampur seat of Kanpur Dehat fell vacant due to death of cabinet minister and BJP MLA Kamal Rani Varun due to COVID-19.
The by-election to Naugawan Sadat seat in Amroha has been necessitated by the death of cabinet minister and BJP MLA Chetan Chauhan, who also died of COVID-19.