INDIA Bloc's 1st Test Today As 6 States Vote For Key Polls: 10 Facts

Times of Viral

In all seven seats, votes will be counted on September 8.

New Delhi:
The opposition’s INDIA bloc and the BJP-led alliance are set for their mega faceoff with six states voting today to fill vacant assembly seats. The bypolls are being held in seven seats in these six states.

Here are top 10 points in this big story:

The seats going to poll today are Ghosi in Uttar Pradesh, Dhupguri in West Bengal, Puthuppally in Kerala, Bageshwar in Uttarakhand, Dumri in Jharkhand and Boxanagar and Dhanpur in Tripura. In all seven seats, votes will be counted on September 8.
These are the first elections since the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) was formed by the Opposition parties that resolved to contest elections “together as far as possible”.
The bypolls in Dhupguri, Puthuppally, Bageshwar, Dumri and Boxanagar were necessitated due to the deaths of the sitting MLAs. In Ghosi and Dhanpur, their MLAs’ resignation led to fresh polls.
Samajwadi Party’s Dara Singh Chauhan had resigned as MLA in Ghoshi and joined BJP. He is now the BJP candidate against his former party’s Sudhakar Singh, also backed by the Congress.
In Dhanpur, BJP’s Pratima Bhoumik had resigned to retain her Lok Sabha seat, which left the assembly seat vacant. BJP has fielded her brother Bindu Debnath and CPM fielded Kaushik Chanda in Dhanpur.
In Boxanagar, CPM and BJP are in direct contest after the death of the Left party legislator Samsul Haque left the seat vacant.
In Bageshwar, the by-election was prompted by BJP MLA Chandan Ram Dass’s death. The BJP has fielded its former MLA’s wife Parwati against the Congress’s Basant Kumar and Samajwadi Party’s Bhagawati Prasad.
Puthuppally is voting today after Oommen Chandy’s death left the seat empty. The Congress-led front has fielded the veteran leader’s son Chandy Oommen against CPM’s Jaick C Thomas.
In Dumri, left vacant by Jharkhand Mukti Morcha MLA Jagarnath Mahto, the state ruling party has fielded his wife Bebi Devi under the INDIA banner against the NDA’s Yashoda Devi and AIMIM’s Abdul Rizvi.
In Dhupguri, which fell vacant after the death of BJP’s Bishnupada Roy, BJP has fielded Tapasi Roy against Trinamool’s Nirmal Chandra Roy and CPM’s Ishwar Chandra Roy.