The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced its slate of candidates for a series of crucial assembly by-elections taking place in November, running concurrently with the Bihar state elections. Prominent nominations include Aga Syed Mohsin for the Budgam constituency in the Jammu and Kashmir region and Babulal Soren for the Ghatsila reserved seat in Jharkhand.
The Election Commission has set November 11 as the polling date for by-elections across eight assembly constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Telangana, Punjab, Odisha, and Mizoram. The results are expected to be declared on November 14. These electoral contests are vital for parties to gauge their current standing and strengthen their presence in these specific regions.
In Jammu and Kashmir, the Budgam constituency (27) will see Aga Syed Mohsin as the BJP candidate. The Nagrota constituency (77) is also up for grabs, with Aga Syed Mohsin and Sushri Devyani Rana being fielded. Jharkhand’s Ghatsila (ST) constituency (45) has Babulal Soren as the party’s choice. Jay Dholakia will represent the BJP in Odisha’s Nuapada constituency (71), and Lankala Deepak Reddy is contesting from Telangana’s Jubilee Hills constituency (61).
The vacancies triggering these by-elections are diverse. In Budgam, the seat became available after Omar Abdullah opted to retain his Ganderbal seat. Nagrota’s seat is vacant following the demise of incumbent BJP MLA Devender Singh Rana. Rajasthan’s Anta constituency faces a by-election due to the disqualification of BJP MLA Kanwar Lal Meena. In Ghatsila, the seat was vacated by the passing of JMM MLA Ramdas Soren. Telangana’s Jubilee Hills seat is open due to the death of BRS MLA Maganti Gopinath. Similarly, Punjab’s Tarn Taran seat by-election is due to the death of AAP MLA Kashmir Singh Sohal. Odisha’s Nuapada seat is vacant following the death of BJD MLA Rajendra Dholakia, and Mizoram’s Dampa seat by-election is necessitated by the passing of MNF MLA Lalrintluanga Sailo.