Bypolls in 7 states for 8 Assembly seats on 11 Nov, counting on 14 Nov

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday announced that bypolls to eight Assembly segments across seven states will be held on 11 November, with counting of votes scheduled for 14 November.

 The announcement came alongside the schedule for the Bihar Assembly elections.

The by-elections will take place in Jammu and Kashmir (Budgam and Nagrota), Rajasthan (Anta), Jharkhand (Ghatshila), Punjab (Tarn Taran), Mizoram (Dampa), Odisha (Nuapada), and Telangana (Jubilee Hills).

The bypolls will be held alongside the Bihar Assembly elections, scheduled in two phases for 6 and 11 November.

In Rajasthan, the Anta seat fell vacant after BJP MLA Kanwarlal Meena was disqualified following his conviction and a three-year prison sentence for pointing a pistol at a sub-divisional magistrate (SDM).

In Jharkhand, the Ghatshila bypoll was necessitated by the death of sitting MLA and state education minister Ramdas Soren of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM).

In Telangana, the Jubilee Hills seat fell vacant following the death of BRS MLA Maganti Gopinath, while Punjab’s Tarn Taran segment is going to polls after the demise of AAP legislator Kashmir Singh Sohal in June.

In Odisha, the Nuapada by-election was triggered by the death of veteran BJD leader and four-time MLA Rajendra Dholakia, who also served as a minister in the Naveen Patnaik cabinet from June 2022 to June 2024.

In Jammu and Kashmir, the Nagrota segment is expected to witness a direct contest between the BJP and the National Conference (NC)-led alliance, while Budgam is likely to see a triangular fight among the NC, the PDP, and the Peoples Alliance for Change — a coalition of the Peoples Conference, Peoples Democratic Front, and Justice and Development Front (JDF).