Assam and Madhya Pradesh bypolls, Congress declares candidates
Congress party announced its candidates for the upcoming bypolls in Madhya Pradesh and Assam, scheduled for next month.
In Madhya Pradesh, Mukesh Malhotra will contest from Vijaypur, and former MLA Raj Kumar Patel will run from Budhni. The political landscape for these two seats is now defined, as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has also revealed its candidates. Patel will face off against former BJP MP Ramakant Bhargava, while Malhotra will go up against State Cabinet Minister Ramniwas Rawat.
In Assam, the bypolls will take place in five constituencies: Dholai (SC), Sidli (ST), Bongaigaon, Behali, and Samaguri. These seats became vacant following the recent Lok Sabha elections, where their previous representatives were elected to Parliament. The Congress has nominated six candidates across both states, with Dhrubajyoti Purakayastha running for Dholai, Sanjib Warle for Sidli, Brajenjit Sinha for Bongaigaon, and Tanzil Hussain for Samaguri. Notably, Samaguri was previously held by Congress leader Rakibul Hussain, and his son Tanzil is stepping in as the party's candidate.
The Congress party chose to leave the Behali seat for the united opposition alliance, which has nominated Bibek Das of CPI(ML).
Meanwhile, the BJP announced its candidates for the bypolls on Saturday, including Nihar Ranjan Das for Dholai, Diganta Ghatowar for Behali, and Diplu Ranjan Sarma for Samaguri. The constituencies of Bongaigaon and Sidli will be contested by BJP allies, AGP and UPPL, respectively, although their candidates have yet to be announced. Voting is set for November 13, with results to be declared on November 23.
The by-elections in Madhya Pradesh, specifically for the Budhni and Vijaypur seats, were necessitated by recent political changes. The Budhni seat became vacant after Shivraj Singh Chouhan resigned to become a Union minister after winning the Vidisha Lok Sabha seat earlier this year. The Vijaypur seat was vacated when Rawat left the Congress to join the ruling BJP prior to the Lok Sabha elections, in which the BJP secured a decisive victory.
In Assam, the bypolls for the five Assembly seats—Dholai, Sidli, Bongaigaon, Behali, and Samuguri—are expected to proceed on November 13, with results announced on November 23. These seats became open after several MLAs shifted focus to parliamentary roles following the Lok Sabha elections. The BJP successfully secured two of these seats, alongside one each from its allies AGP and UPPL, as well as one from Congress.
The Dhubri Lok Sabha seat was won by Congress’s Rakibul Hussain, further solidifying his reputation as a prominent figure in Samaguri, having been elected as a five-time legislator.