By-Elections: The Election Commission has changed the date of by-elections to be held on some assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh, Kerala and Punjab. The Commission took this decision in view of the festivals, due to which now voting on these seats will be held on 20th November instead of 13th November. The purpose of this change is to ensure maximum participation of voters, so that there is no impact on voting due to festivals.
The Election Commission had announced by-elections for 48 assembly seats and 2 Lok Sabha seats in a total of 15 states. Now the date of voting on some of these seats has been fixed on November 20, which includes 9 seats in Uttar Pradesh, 1 seat in Kerala and 4 seats in Punjab. Now Jharkhand and maharashtra assembly elections Voting will take place simultaneously.
By-elections will be held on how many seats in how many states?
| State | Number of seats |
| Assam | 6 seats – – Dholai (SC), Sidli (ST), Bongaigaon, Bahali, Samaguri, Tarari |
| Bihar | 3 seats– Tarari, Ramgarh and Imamganj |
| Chhattisgarh | 1 seat—Raipur City |
| Gujarat | 1 seat– Bhava |
| Karnataka | 3 seats– Shiggaon, Sandur, Channapatna |
| Kerala | 3 seats- Palakkad, Chellakkara and Lok Sabha seat Wayanad. |
| Madhya Pradesh | 2 seats– Budhni, Vijaypur |
| Maharashtra | 1 seat– Nanded |
| Meghalaya | 1 seat–Gemberge |
| Punjab | 4 (Baba Nanak, Chabbewal, Giddarbaha and Barnala) |
| Rajasthan | 7 seats – Ramgarh, Dausa, Deuli-Uniara, Khinwasar, Salumber, Chorasi |
| Sikkim | 2 seats–Sorange-Chakung and Namching-Sidhinthang |
| Uttar Pradesh | 9 seats- Sisamau, Phulpur, Karhal, Majhwan, Meerapur, Katehari, Ghaziabad Sadar, Khair, Kundarki. |
| Uttarakhand | 1 seat– Kedarnath |
| west bengal | 6- Sitai, Madirhat, Naihati, Haroa, Medinipur, Taldangra |
Seats on which dates were changed
| State | Assembly/Lok Sabha seat | reason for by-election |
| Uttar Pradesh | Sisamau, Phulpur, Karhal, Majhwan, Meerapur | resign |
| Uttar Pradesh | Milkipur, Katehari, Ghaziabad Sadar, Khair, Kundarki | resign |
| Kerala | Palakkad | resign |
| Punjab | Baba Nanak, Chabbewal, Giddarbaha and Barnala | resign |
appeal of political parties
Many major political parties like Congress, BJP, BSP and RLD had requested the Commission to change the date of by-election. These parties had urged that due to many religious and cultural programs taking place on November 13, voting may be disrupted. Especially in Punjab, the 555th Prakash Parv of Sri Guru Nanak Dev will be celebrated on 15th November, due to which religious events will start from 13th November. Similarly, voters in Palakkad assembly constituency in Kerala celebrate the festival of Kalpati Rathotsavam from 13 to 15 November.
By-election results will be declared on November 23
Voting for the assembly elections in Maharashtra will be held in one phase on November 20, while in Jharkhand, voting will be held in two phases on November 13 and 20. The results of by-elections in all states will be declared on 23 November. Changing the date of by-election in view of festivals is an important decision of the Election Commission, which will ensure maximum participation of voters during festivals. This decision of the Commission will provide convenience to the voters in the affected states and they will be able to exercise their franchise freely.
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