The Election Commission on Tuesday announced that polling for the upcoming bypolls in nine Uttar Pradesh assembly seats will be held on 13th November and the results will be out on 23rd November. The EC announced the schedule for the crucial UP bypolls along with the dates for Maharashtra and Jharkhand assembly polls in a press conference held in Delhi.

This announcement comes at a crucial time as the political landscape heats up in the state, especially after recent electoral shifts. The nine assembly seats up for grabs are Katehari (Ambedkar Nagar), Karhal (Mainpuri),, Meerapur (Muzaffarnagar), Ghaziabad, Majhawan (Mirzapur), Sisamau (Kanpur city), Khair (Aligarh), Phulpur (Prayagraj), and Kundarki (Moradabad). Ayodhya’s Milkipur assembly seat has been excempted from the current round of bypolls.

Congress strategists revealed on Sunday that discussions on ticket distribution with the Samajwadi Party (SP) are ongoing, with “possibilities ahead.” This comes after the SP declared candidates for six of the 10 Uttar Pradesh assembly seats. The SP, part of the INDIA bloc, will contest the bypolls with the Congress, which is demanding five seats.

The SP has announced candidates for six seats:

– Tej Pratap Yadav from Karhal Assembly constituency

– Naseem Solanki from Sisamau

– Mustafa Siddiqui from Phulpur

– Ajit Prasad from Milkipur

– Shobhawati Verma from Katehari

– Jyoti Bind from Majhwan

Past Election Results

In the 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly polls:

– Sisamau, Katehari, Karhal, Milkipur, and Kundarki were held by the SP

– BJP won Phulpur, Ghaziabad, Majhawan, and Khair

– Meerapur was won by the RLD, an ally of the SP

A Litmus Test for INDIA Bloc

These bypolls will test the INDIA bloc’s unity, particularly after the recent setback in Haryana elections. The Jat-dominated state voted the BJP back to power for a record third time, with experts citing the Congress’s refusal to ally with AAP as a key factor.

BJP’s Prestige Battle

The BJP has set up a panel to finalize candidates for the 10 seats, seeking to redeem itself after the Lok Sabha elections debacle. After facing challenges in the Lok Sabha elections, the ruling party has established a panel to finalize its candidates for these ten critical seats. The BJP won the last elections in Phulpur, Ghaziabad, Majhawan, and Khair, while the RLD claimed Meerapur, then an ally of the SP.