Lucknow: With the INDIA bloc making significant gains against the BJP in Uttar Pradesh in Lok Sabha polls, the by-elections in 10 Assembly seats that have fallen vacant are likely to witness a keen contest, with the ruling party under pressure to regain its hold.
The date for the by-elections has not been announced yet by the Election Commission. However, the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Congress have announced that they will contest together under the INDIA bloc. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has also begun its preparations, according to their leaders.
The seats fell vacant after nine Assembly members including Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav were elected to Lok Sabha, while SP MLA from Sisamau MLA Irfan Solanki of Kanpur was disqualified after he was sentenced to jail in a criminal case. UP Assembly Special Secretary Brajbhushan Dubey said that information about the vacancy on 10 seats has been sent to the EC.
“As per the procedure, by-elections can be held on these seats within six months,” he said. Five of these seats were won by the SP in 2022 while one seat was bagged by the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), which was then in alliance with the SP. Three seats were won by the BJP and one seat went into the account of BJP’s ally Nishad Party. While the by-election results will be numerically inconsequential for the BJP in the state Assembly, where it has a comfortable majority, they will impact the morale of both sides as any further losses to the BJP will help the Opposition SP and Congress to further cement their gains. While the SP and the Congress have expressed confidence that they will continue their winning streak, the BJP is also preparing to do “something special” in the by-elections to increase its “credibility”, according to leaders. BJP’s state media in-charge Manish Dixit said that the “NDA will contest the Assembly by-elections with full strength. There is no pressure anywhere, rather the NDA will fight the Assembly by-elections with full strength. BJP workers are always ready for public service and elections.”
“The party will fight the elections will all its might and the result will be a special achievement,” he said. On the question of giving seats to alliance partners, he said, ‘’The party leadership will decide this but at the level of organisation and government, we have started preparing for the elections with full enthusiasm.’’
When SP chief spokesperson and national secretary Rajendra Chaudhary was asked about it, he said, ‘’Preparations for by-elections have been started on all the vacant seats and in alliance with the Congress party, we will fight the elections with full strength and win”.