By-elections for 13 assembly seats will take place on July 10 in seven states, leading to another face-off between NDA and India Aghadi. A significant by-election is happening in Himachal Pradesh, where Kamlesh Thakur, Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu's wife, is competing for the seat in Dehra. Abhishek Manu Singhvi (Congress) faced defeat in the Rajya Sabha elections. The Hamirpur and Nalagarh seats will also be contested, as two independents resigned after supporting the BJP candidate, who has been re-nominated. Congress is focusing its efforts in this region.
These by-elections are taking place to fill vacant seats in the Legislative Assembly left by the passing or resignation of sitting members, some of whom moved to roles as MPs and resigned. By-elections will be held in Bihar (1), Himachal Pradesh (3), Madhya Pradesh (1), Punjab (1), Tamil Nadu (1), Uttarakhand (2), and West Bengal (4).
A crucial test in Punjab
After a disappointing performance in the Lok Sabha elections, the by-election in Jalandhar West (SC) will be a test for the ruling AAP in Punjab. Following the Lok Sabha elections where AAP secured three seats, while Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal won one and two seats, respectively. The election results might lead to a possible alliance between Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP, as they received 32 percent of the votes compared to Congress's 26.30 percent and AAP's 26.02 percent.