Bypolls In Nine UP Seats: What Led To Vacancies And Who’s In The Fray

The bypolls for nine seats across Uttar Pradesh were held on November 20. A total of 90 candidates contested the elections, with the highest number of 14 candidates in the fray from the Ghaziabad assembly constituency, while the lowest number of five candidates contested from each of the Khair and Sisamau assembly constituencies. The results will be announced on November 23.

The main contest is between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and the Samajwadi Party (SP), led by former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav. The Congress is not contesting the byelections but is backing its I.N.D.I.A. bloc partner, the SP.

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Of these nine seats, eight fell vacant after sitting MLAs were elected to the Lok Sabha, while the Sisamau seat is being contested following the conviction of SP MLA Irfan Solanki in a criminal case.

Although the by-election results will not have a direct impact on the composition of the 403-member Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, they will send an important message to various political parties.

Currently, the BJP holds 251 seats in the Assembly, while the SP has 105 seats. Among BJP allies, Apna Dal (Sonelal) has 13 MLAs, RLD has 8 MLAs, SBSP has 6 MLAs, and the NISHAD Party has 5 MLAs. The Congress and Jansatta Dal Loktantrik each have 2 MLAs, while the BSP has 1 MLA. This by-election marks the first electoral test for both the INDIA bloc and the NDA in this politically crucial state after the Lok Sabha elections.

Here are the details about the contests in the nine seats:

Karhal in Mainpuri: The SP has fielded Tej Pratap Yadav, the cousin of Akhilesh Yadav and a former MP. The BJP has chosen Anujesh Yadav as its candidate. This seat was vacated by Akhilesh Yadav after his victory in the Lok Sabha election from Kannauj in 2024.

Ghaziabad: The BJP has given its ticket to Sanjeev Sharma, while the SP has fielded Singh Raj Jatav. The seat was vacated by former BJP MLA Atul Garg, who won the Lok Sabha election in 2024.

Sisamau in Kanpur City: The SP has nominated Naseem Solanki, the wife of disqualified SP MLA Irfan Solanki. The BJP has fielded Suresh Awasthi. The seat fell vacant after Irfan Solanki was disqualified following his conviction in a criminal case.

Kundarki in Moradabad: The SP has nominated former MLA Haji Mohd Rizwan, while the BJP has fielded Ramveer Thakur. The seat was vacated by SP MLA Zia Ur Rehman, who was elected to the Lok Sabha from Sambhal.

Majhawan in Mirzapur: The BJP has chosen Suchismita Maurya as its candidate, while the SP has fielded Jyoti Bind, the daughter of three-time former Majhawan MLA and former Bhadohi MP Ramesh Bind. The seat fell vacant after NISHAD Party MLA Vinod Bind became the Bhadohi MP on a BJP ticket.

Phulpur in Prayagraj: The SP has fielded Mohd Mustafa Siddiqui, while the BJP has nominated former Karchana MLA Deepak Patel. This seat was vacated by BJP’s Praveen Patel, who won the 2024 Lok Sabha election.

Katehari in Ambedkar Nagar: The SP candidate is Shobhawati Verma. The BJP has fielded Dharmraj Nishad, a three-time former MLA and ex-minister in the BSP government. The seat became vacant after Lalji Verma, the sitting MLA, was elected to the Lok Sabha.

Khair in Aligarh: The SP has announced Dr. Charu Kain as its candidate. Kain previously contested from this seat as a BSP candidate in 2022. The BJP has fielded Surendra Diler, the son of former MP Rajveer Diler. The seat became vacant after BJP MLA and Uttar Pradesh minister Anoop Pradhan won the Lok Sabha seat from Hathras.

Meerapur in Muzaffarnagar: The SP candidate is Sumbul Rana, the daughter-in-law of former MP Kadir Rana and the daughter of BSP leader Munkad Ali. BJP ally RLD has fielded Mithilesh Pal. The bypoll was necessitated after RLD MLA Chandan Chauhan won the Lok Sabha seat from Bijnor.