149 Candidates File Nominations for Uttar Pradesh Assembly Bypolls Scheduled on November 13

Seventy-eight individuals submitted their nominations for the Uttar Pradesh assembly bypolls on Friday. This increased the total number of candidates to 149 across nine constituencies. The deadline for filing nominations was Friday. The Election Commission (EC) stated that the scrutiny of these papers will occur on October 28, with the final date for withdrawing candidacy set for October 30.

Key Dates and Constituencies

Voting is scheduled for November 13, with the counting of votes on November 23. The EC announced the bypolls on October 15, excluding Milkipur Ayodhya due to a pending court case. The constituencies involved include Katehari Ambedkar Nagar, Karhal Mainpuri, Meerapur Muzaffarnagar, Ghaziabad, Majhawan Mirzapur, Sishamau Kanpur city, Khair Aligarh, Phulpur Prayagraj, and Kundarki Moradabad.

Eight seats became vacant after MLAs were elected as MPs in the Lok Sabha elections. The Sisamau seat requires a by-election due to SP MLA Irfan Solanki's disqualification following a criminal conviction. In the 2022 assembly elections, the Samajwadi Party (SP) held Sisamau, Katehari, Karhal, Milkipur, and Kundarki seats.

Political Parties and Candidates

The BJP secured Phulpur, Ghaziabad, Majhawan, and Khair seats during the last assembly polls. Meanwhile, Meerapur was under the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD). On Thursday, the ruling BJP in Uttar Pradesh declared its candidates for eight out of nine assembly seats. One seat was allocated to its ally RLD.

The Congress party announced it would not field candidates in these bypolls. Instead, it plans to support SP candidates or those from other INDIA bloc parties unconditionally. This statement followed SP chief Akhilesh Yadav's declaration that all INDIA bloc candidates would contest using his party's cycle election symbol.

The upcoming bypolls are crucial for political parties in Uttar Pradesh as they aim to strengthen their positions. With multiple parties vying for influence, these elections will be closely watched by political analysts and voters alike.