Mumbai, May 4: The results of by-elections held for seven assembly seats across five states will be announced today. The counting of votes is set to begin at 8 AM. These by-elections are considered crucial for political parties, as the outcomes may influence future strategies.
The by-elections took place on April 9 and April 23 in various constituencies in Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Nagaland, and Tripura. These elections were necessitated due to the demise of the respective legislators, leaving the seats vacant.
Among these, the Baramati seat in Maharashtra is drawing significant attention. This constituency, located in Pune district, is regarded as a stronghold of the Pawar family. The by-election was called following the tragic death of Ajit Pawar in a plane crash on January 28. His wife, Sunetra Pawar, a leader of the NCP and the Deputy Chief Minister, is contesting, making the competition highly prominent.
In Karnataka, by-elections were held for the Bagalkot and Davanagere South seats, which became vacant after the passing of senior Congress leaders H.Y. Meti and Shamanur Shivashankarappa. A direct contest is anticipated between the ruling Congress and the BJP. The BJP has fielded Veerabhadrayya Charantimath from Bagalkot and Srinivas T. Dasakariappa from Davanagere South, while Congress has nominated Umesh Meti and Samarth Mallikarjun, respectively.
The Umreth seat in Gujarat also witnessed a tough contest following the death of BJP MLA Govind Parmar. The BJP has nominated his son, Harshad Parmar, who will face competition from Congress candidate Bhriguraj Singh Chauhan and others.
In Nagaland, six candidates are contesting for the Koridang seat, which became vacant after the demise of BJP MLA Imkong L. Imchen. The BJP has nominated Daochier I. Imchen, who has the backing of the ruling coalition.
Tripura’s Dharmanagar seat saw a triangular contest among BJP, Congress, and the Left Front, following the passing of Assembly Speaker Biswabandhu Sen.
Meanwhile, the by-election for the Ponda seat in Goa was cancelled just hours before voting by the Bombay High Court.