Senior Congress leader and Sirsa MP Kumari Selja on Wednesday expressed confidence that the Congress party would secure victory in the upcoming by-polls and that the Congress-led alliance would also triumph in the Maharashtra Assembly elections. "We are confident that our alliance in Maharashtra will form the government, and Congress will contest the by-polls to win. It is a matter of great happiness that Priyanka ji is contesting from Wayanad," Selja said.
Commenting on the BJP's victory in the recent Haryana Assembly elections, Kumari Selja stated, "We hope they will now begin the work they did not complete in the last ten years. By whatever means they secured a mandate, we just want them to take the people of Haryana forward."
On Tuesday, the Election Commission of India announced by-polls for 48 assembly constituencies, including nine seats in Uttar Pradesh and the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat in Kerala. Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar made the announcement during a press conference, where he also revealed the dates for the Maharashtra and Jharkhand Assembly elections.
Although there are 10 vacant assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh, by-polls were announced for only nine, as an election petition is pending for the Milkipur seat in Ayodhya. Polling for 47 assembly seats and the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat will be held on November 13, while voting in one assembly constituency in Uttarakhand and the Nanded constituency in Maharashtra will take place on November 20. Jharkhand will hold its assembly polls in two phases, on November 13 and 20, while Maharashtra will vote on November 20, with results expected to be declared on November 23.
The by-polls are spread across 15 states: Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and West Bengal. Uttar Pradesh will see the largest number of by-polls, with key constituencies such as Meerapur, Kundarki, Ghaziabad, Khair, Karhal, Phulpur, Katehari, Majhawan, and Sishamau going to the polls.
These by-polls in Uttar Pradesh are particularly crucial for the BJP, as the party suffered a setback in the recent Lok Sabha polls, winning only 33 seats compared to 62 in 2019. Regaining momentum in Uttar Pradesh is a priority for the BJP as it looks to reassert its dominance in the state.