The Election Commission of India has announced bypolls for three Rajya Sabha seats from West Bengal following the resignation of three Trinamool Congress MPs. Elections will be held on July 24, with votes counted on the same day. The poll body also issued a formal notification for by-elections to three key Assembly constituencies across Bihar, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh on July 30.
There are three casual vacancies in the state of West Bengal…The commission has decided to hold three separate bye-elections to the council of states to fill up the above-mentioned vacancies,” began an official notice.
Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, Sushmita Dev and Prakash Chik Baraik had resigned from the Upper House of Parliament last month amid a widening rift within the TMC. Their terms had been slated to run for more than three years until the ongoing party rebellion prompted an abrupt exit.
The BJP is likely to see a rise in its Rajya Sabha numbers since it had swept the West Bengal assembly polls earlier this month. Members of the Upper House of Parliament are indirectly elected by MLAs using a system of proportional representation. Bengal is allocated 16 seats — with the 294 state MLAs acting as voters.
Cracks within TMC continue to widen
The battle for control of the TMC is set to enter a decisive phase on Monday — with rival factions expected to submit documents before the Election Commission and stake claim over the party name, symbol and organisational structure. The contest is unprecedented in the 28-year history of TMC and comes after weeks of infighting, resignations and heavy accusations following its defeat in the state elections.
The EC has asked both sides to furnish documents, organisational records and evidence of support by 5.30 pm on July 6 after hearing preliminary submissions from the rival factions last week. .At the heart of the dispute lies the future of the party’s iconic grass-and-flowers symbol, its organisational assets, finances and headquarters. Both sides are seeking to establish themselves as the “real” Trinamool Congress — with the ‘rebel’ faction hinting that it will align with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance in Parliament. But the West Bengal Legislative Assembly poses a somewhat more complicated situation as the rebels position themselves as an anti-BJP constructive opposition separate from the Mamata Banerjee-led Opposition group.
Assembly bypolls for Bihar, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh
The Election Commission of India also issued a formal notification for bypolls in three states on Monday. The Bankipur Assembly seat in Bihar has been vacant since sitting MLA Nitin Nabin resigned on March 30 to join the Rajya Sabha. The poll body has also called a bypoll for the Manjalpur Assembly constituency in Gujarat to fill the remainder of the term following the death of Yogeshbhai Narandas Patel on June 2. Elections were also necessitated for the Datia seat in Madhya Pradesh due to the disqualification of Rajendra Bharti on April 2.
Key dates:
Scrutiny of nomination papers – July 14
Withdrawal of names – July 16
Election voting – From 7:00 am to 6:00 pm on July 30