Bypolls deferred over turnout fears: Poll official

November 04, 2024 21:20

Bypolls on nine assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh were deferred in view of several political parties fearing a low voter turnout due to festivals in the coming week, an official from the Election Commission said on Monday.

According to the revised date, voting, earlier scheduled to take place on November 13, will now be conducted on November 20.

The date for counting of votes, unchanged, will be November 23.

Additional Chief Electoral Officer Chandrashekhar in a statement said that the date for the election was changed in view of the requests made by several political parties (including the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Indian National Congress, the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Rashtriya Lok Dal) and certain social organisations.

The parties feared that due to large-scale 'social, cultural, and religious engagements' on November 13, people may not turn up to cast their votes.

The EC Monday rescheduled assembly bypolls to November 20 for Kerala and Punjab as well.

Polling will be held on four seats in Punjab and one seat in Kerala.

In UP, the nine assembly seats going to polls are Katehari (Ambedkar Nagar), Karhal (Mainpuri), Meerapur (Muzaffarnagar), Ghaziabad, Majhawan (Mirzapur), Sishamau (Kanpur City), Khair (Aligarh), Phulpur (Prayagraj) and Kundarki (Moradabad).

Eight of these seats fell vacant after their MLAs were elected as Lok Sabha MPs, while bypoll is being held on the Sisamau seat due to the disqualification of SP MLA Irfan Solanki, who was convicted in a criminal case.

In the 2022 assembly polls, Sishamau, Katehari, Karhal, Milkipur and Kundarki were held by the SP, while the BJP had won Phulpur, Ghaziabad, Majhawan and Khair.

The Meerapur seat was held by the RLD, which is now an ally of the BJP in the NDA.

The Congress is not contesting the bypolls and supporting its INDIA bloc partner SP, while the BSP is contesting solo on all nine seats. -- PTI

« Back to LIVE

TOP STORIES

LIVE! Rahul, Kharge visit Manmohan Singh's residence

4th Test Updates: Smith out for 140; Australia 9 down

Former PM Dr Manmohan Singh passes away at 92

Former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh passed away on Thursday night at the age of 92. He was brought to the emergency department of AIIMS Delhi in critical condition after "sudden loss of consciousness."

How Dr Manmohan Singh became India's 'reforms' man

He drew the roadmap of India's economic reform, unshackled it from the licence raj and pulled it back from the brink when even its gold reserve was pledged.

Team India don black armbands to honour Manmohan Singh

Manmohan Singh, a two time former prime minister from 2004 to 2014, passed away on Thursday.