Bypoll Elections in Six States: BJP vs Regional Parties

According to the Election Commission’s schedule, voting will happen today i.e. on November 3, 2022, and counting will transpire on November 6.

Constituencies and Parties involved

Today (3rd November 2022), bypoll elections will be held in seven Assembly constituencies across six states, which includes Andheri East in Maharashtra, Adampur in Haryana, Gopalganj and Mokama in Bihar, Gola Gokarannath in Uttar Pradesh, Munugode in Telangana and Dhamnagar in Odisha.

Regional parties like the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), Samajwadi Party (SP), and Biju Janata Dal will face off against the BJP in the elections. Election results will be declared on November 6.

Munugode Election

The opposition party wants to demonstrate that it is a force to be reckoned with in Telangana, while the ruling TRS seeks to stop the BJP’s growing influence in the state. While, the main opposition party, Congress, appears to have fallen to third place.

The TRS has allied with the Left in order to endorse and promote its programs, such as Rythu Bandhu, free power for the agriculture sector, and farm insurance, TRS has deployed 14 ministers and at least 50–60 MLAs for the campaign. The BJP campaign included accusations of corruption and emphasized the “broken promises” of the K Chandrashekar Rao-led administration.

Gola Gokarnath Election

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Congress are refraining from the election, leaving a tough battle between the BJP and SP. As the ruling party BJP does not want to lose a constituency, it recently won. Hence, it is a prestige battle for the party. While, the SP, if it wins this election then it will be able to prove that the BJP has “failed at administration, law and order, and other areas of governance” ever since it came back to power in March.

Yogi Adityanath, the chief minister, spoke to a crowd on Monday, in Gola as part of the BJP’s massive election campaign. According to BJP sources, Aman was chosen as their candidate with the “sympathy factor” in mind. 

Akhilesh Yadav, the president of the SP, decided not to campaign. SP’s appeal to voters centered mostly on “the failure of the BJP government to provide aid to citizens during floods.”

Adampur Election

The BJP-Jannayak Janta Party alliance has lost both the Assembly bypolls it has faced since it came to power in October 2019, despite fielding well-known candidates. The party’s candidate in Baroda was the famous wrestler, Yogeshwar Dutt, while in Ellenabad it was Gobind Kanda, brother of Haryana Lokhit Party founder Gopal Kanda.

The ruling alliance will test its strength in the Adampur bypoll election.

Bhavya Bishnoi, the grandson of former CM Bhajan Lal and the son of Kuldeep Bishnoi, has been nominated by the ruling alliance. Since 1968, Bhajan Lal’s family has never lost the seat. Jai Prakash, the Congress candidate, has affiliations with almost all of the state’s political parties. Satender Singh of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Kurdaram Nambardar of the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) are also running.

Gopalganj Election

The BSP has chosen Indira, wife of Sadhu Yadav, brother-in-law of RJD chief Lalu Prasad. Former local MLA and MP Sadhu Yadav is from the region. He has faced against candidates put out by the RJD before. Due to Sadhu’s involvement in several controversies and incidents when the RJD was in power in Bihar, the two have been more distant, since 2005. 

While Kusum Devi of the BJP is trying to be a spoilsport, the RJD has fielded Mohan Gupta. Manoj Gupta comes from the OBC Baniya community. The social equation at present is slightly in his favor.

Andheri East Election

It is the first bypoll election following a rebellion led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and other MLAs. Therefore, it is a crucial campaign for the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena. This bypoll is a key test for the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition.

The candidate for the Thackeray-led Sena is Rutuja Latke, Ramesh Latke’s wife. Six more candidates have been nominated, although none are members of the ruling coalition. Following requests from the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and the NCP, among others, the BJP withdrew its candidate Murji Patel.

Dhamnagar Election

The BJP is trying to protect the seat it won in 2019. The party is counting on sympathy votes and loud rallies. Going into the general elections of 2024, the BJD is optimistic about strengthening its record in the bypoll elections. Since 2019, it has won all five bypoll elections held in the state.

Mokama Election

The Mahagathbandan (Grand Alliance), which is in power, appears to have an advantage in the election, but the BJP is making every effort to weaken the coalition. The BJP is running from Mokama for the first time, having previously given the seat to one of its allies. 

Voters from the upper caste Bhumihar are the majority in Mokama, closely followed by those from the Extremely Backward Class (EBC) Dhanuk and Other Backward Class (OBC) Yadav. Both candidates are members of the Bhumihar caste, hence their votes are likely to split.

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