New Delhi: Political battlefield is set once again as the NDA and the INDIA alliance gear up for the next electoral round. By-elections will take place on July 10 in 13 assembly constituencies across seven states, including four crucial seats in West Bengal. The seats in contention include Rupauli in Bihar, Raiganj, Ranaghat South, Bagdah, and Maniktala in West Bengal, Vikravandi in Tamil Nadu, Amarwara in Madhya Pradesh, Badrinath and Mangalore in Uttarakhand, and Jalandhar West in Punjab. These seats have become vacant due to the demise of incumbent MLAs or resignations from various parties.Three constituencies in Himachal PradeshAssembly by-elections are also set for Dehra, Nalagarh, and Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh. The Congress has mobilized all its resources, with Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri, State President Pratibha Singh, and other ministers leading the campaign. Door-to-door and street meetings will continue until July 8. Congress candidates include Chief Minister Sukhus wife Kamlesh Thakur from Dehra, Dr Pushpendra Verma from Hamirpur, and Hardeep Singh Bawa from Nalagarh. The Dehra seat, in particular, is significant as Congress has not won there since its creation in 2012.Two constituencies in UttarakhandBy-elections in Uttarakhand will be held in Badrinath and Mangalore constituencies. Congress Chief Media Coordinator Rajiv Maharshi expressed confidence, stating that Badrinath will remain with Congress, as it was in the last election. He emphasized that Congress narrowly missed winning Mangalore last time and is poised for victory this time, citing public disillusionment with the BJP.Maniktala constituency in West BengalIn West Bengal, the Maniktala seat, traditionally held by Congress, has now become a Trinamool Congress (TMC) stronghold. The seat fell vacant after the death of TMC leader Sadhan Pandey on February 20, 2022. The Raiganj seat, initially won by the BJP in 2021, saw MLA Krishna Kalyani later joining the TMC. Although she received a Lok Sabha ticket from Raiganj, she lost to BJP candidate Kartik Paul. In Bagdah, BJPs 2021 winner Biswajit Das switched to TMC, but subsequently lost the Lok Sabha election to BJPs Shantanu Thakur in Bongaon. Ranaghat South is also vacant, with BJP MLA Mukut Mani Adhikari defecting to TMC. He will now contest as a TMC candidate against BJPs Manoj Kumar Vishwas.Jalandhar West constituency in PunjabIn Punjab, the by-election for Jalandhar West will occur on July 10 following the resignation of AAP MLA Sheetal Angural. Senior Congress leader Pratap Singh Bajwa has predicted a significant defeat for the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in this constituency, which is part of the Jalandhar parliamentary seat held by Congress leader and former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi. Bajwa highlighted that Congress secured 44,000 votes in the last election, with BJP obtaining 42,000 votes and AAP only 15,000, indicating the electorates likely preference.Tamil Nadus Vikravandi seatThe Vikravandi seat in Tamil Nadu will witness a three-way contest between the ruling DMK, BJP ally PMK, and NTK. The seat became vacant following the death of DMK MLA N. Pughazhendi. The main competition will be between DMKs Anniyur Siva and PMKs C. Anbumani, with the opposition boycotting the election, alleging it will not be free and fair.
