Bypoll

1. The opposition INDIA bloc challenges BJP in assembly bypolls for 13 seats across seven states.
2. These bypolls are a crucial test for the BJP, following their recent setback in the Lok Sabha elections.
3. Votes are being counted on Saturday to determine the outcome of these fiercely contested seats.

New Delhi, July 13: The opposition INDIA bloc is giving a tough fight to the BJP as votes are being counted for assembly bypolls in 13 seats across seven states on Saturday.

These bypolls are a critical test for the BJP, which recently failed to secure a majority in the Lok Sabha elections.

Vote counting began at 8 am in key constituencies across West Bengal, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, and Bihar.

The fiercely contested bypolls took place on July 10 and are the first since the Lok Sabha election, with the ruling BJP and the opposition INDIA bloc, which includes Congress, Trinamool Congress, DMK, and Aam Aadmi Party, vying for the seats.

Here are the latest developments:

  • West Bengal: Trinamool Congress’s Madhupurna Thakur leads by 12,444 votes in Bagda. Trinamool candidates are also ahead in Ranaghat, Maniktala, and Raiganj.
  • Uttarakhand: Congress candidate Qazi Nizamuddin leads in Manglaur with 12,540 votes, followed by BSP’s Ubedur Rehman. The BJP’s Kartar Singh Bhadana is third. In Badrinath, Congress’s Lakhpat Singh Butola is leading against BJP’s Rajendra Bhandari.
  • Punjab: In Jalandhar West, AAP’s Mohinder Bhagat has a commanding lead of 42,007 votes. Congress’s Surinder Kaur and BJP’s Sheetal Angural are trailing.
  • Tamil Nadu: DMK’s Anniyur Siva leads in Vikravandi against C Anbumani and Naam Tamilar Katchi’s K Abinaya.
  • Bihar: JD(U)’s Kaladhar Prasad Mandal leads by 2,433 votes in Rupauli. RJD’s Bima Bharti is third.
  • Madhya Pradesh: In Amarwara, BJP’s Kamlesh Pratap Shah leads by 4,160 votes over Congress’s Dheeran Shah Invati.
  • Himachal Pradesh: Congress candidates are leading in all three seats. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu’s wife Kamlesh Thakur leads in Dehra, Pushpinder Verma in Hamirpur, and Hardeep Singh Bawa in Nalagarh.
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These elections are closely watched, with significant implications for the political landscape across these states.