Bypolls on 10 assembly seats INDIA bloc's first major test in UP since LS gains

LUCKNOW: Bypolls on 10 assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh will be a litmus test for the INDIA bloc's unity after the group's success in the recent Lok Sabha polls when they won more than 40 seats, significantly contributing to the BJP's failure to win a simple majority in parliament.

However, the two INDIA bloc allies in Uttar Pradesh -- Samajwadi Party and Congress -- have not been able to firm-up a seat-sharing pact for the bypolls even though the Congress has staked claims to contest five of the 10 seats, a proposition the SP may not agree with.

Leaders from both the parties say their aim is to defeat the BJP, and they are confident they would contest the bypolls together.

Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai told PTI, "The party is holding 'Samvidhan Bachao Sammelan' (save Constitution conferences) on all 10 assembly seats that are going to polls. Two such conferences have already been held. We have appointed incharges and observers on all the 10 seats and ground work is on."

The assembly seats where bypolls are due are: Katehari (Ambedkar Nagar), Karhal (Mainpuri), Milkipur (Ayodhya), Meerapur (Muzaffarnagar), Ghaziabad, Majhawan (Mirzapur), Sishamau (Kanpur city), Khair (Aligarh), Phulpur (Prayagraj) and Kundarki (Moradabad).

Nine of these seats fell vacant after their MLAs were elected as MPs in the Lok Sabha polls, while bypolls are being held on the Sishamau seat due to the disqualification of SP MLA Irfan Solanki, who was convicted in a criminal case.

Asked if he hopes the alliance will continue in these bypolls, Rai said, "Yes. We will contest in alliance. The aim of both the Congress and the SP is to defeat the BJP."

"We have given a proposal to contest five assembly seats -- Majhwa (Mirzapur), Phulpur (Allahabad), Ghaziabad, Khair (Aligarh) and Meerapur (Muzaffarnagar) to our leadership. These seats are those, where BJP candidates had won," Rai said.

In the 2022 assembly polls, Sisamau, Katehari, Karhal, Milkipur and Kundarki seats were won by the SP; while Phulpur, Ghaziabad, Majhawan and Kahir elected BJP MLAs. The Meerapur seat was held by the RLD.

When asked whether his party had any talks with the SP in this regard, Rai said, "A meeting was held in which it was discussed. We have told the leadership and our UP incharge Avinash Pande about it."

Asked specifically whether he sees the alliance continuing in the bypolls, Rai said, "Yes, 100 per cent. Ummid nahi, pucca hai (it's just a hope, but a certainty)."

In the Lok Sabha polls held in April-May, INDIA bloc partners Samajwadi Party won 37 seats the while Congress got six. The BJP had won 33 seats (down from 62 in 2019) while its ally Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) and Apna Dal (Sonelal) got two and one seat respectively.

The Azad Samaj Party had won one seat.

When PTI asked about the bypolls, SP chief spokesperson and National Secretary Rajendra Chowdhury said, "We are fully prepared for the polls. The INDIA bloc will win all the 10 seats."

On seat-sharing and the Congress' demand of five seats, Chowdhury said, "Baith ke tay hoga' (We will sit together and decide). He did not elaborate further, just saying that the party leadership will decide.

This time BJP will not be able to do anything unwanted at polling booths, he said. "We are doing our preparations upto the booth level and emphasising on making our party strong at booth level," Chowdhury said.

The dates of by-elections have not been announced yet.

While Karhal seat fell vacant due to SP chief Akhilesh Yadav getting elected from Kannauj as MP, Katehari has been vacated by the party's Lalji Verma after he was elected as MP from the Ambedkar Nagar Lok Sabha seat.

SP leader Awadhesh Prasad's election to Lok Sabha from Ayodhya led to his resignation from Milkipur seat, while SP leader Zia-ur Rahman Barq's Kundarki assembly seat in Moradabad has fallen vacant following his election to the Sambhal Lok Sabha seat.

Chandan Chauhan of the Rashtriya Lok Dal resigned from his Meerapur assembly seat of Muzaffarnagar following his election to Lok Sabha from Bijnor. The Ghaziabad seat fell vacant after the BJP's Atul Garg was elected to the Ghaziabad LS seat.

The BJP's Vinod Kumar Bind resigned from his Majhawan assembly seat of Mirzapur following his election to Lok Sabha from Bhadohi, while party leader Anoop Singh alias Anoop Pradhan Balmiki resigned from his Khair assembly seat of Aligarh following his election from Hathras Lok Sabha seat.

The BJP's Praveen Patel resigned from Phulpur assembly seat of Prayagraj following his election to Lok Sabha from the Lok Sabha seat with the same name.