Punjab and Himachal Pradesh gears up for assembly by-polls tomorrow over one and three seats, respectively.
In Punjab, the Jalandhar West Assembly seat has become a crucial battleground after Sheetal Angural, the former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator, defected to the BJP, necessitating a bypoll.
In a bid to secure a win for their nominee, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and senior AAP leaders have intensively campaigned, seeking to rebound from a disappointing performance in the recent Lok Sabha election. The counting for these by-polls is scheduled to take place on July 13, and the outcome is eagerly anticipated.
The seat has a total of 1.72 lakh eligible voters.
Meanwhile, the upcoming by-polls in Himachal Pradesh are generating significant interest, particularly in the three constituencies of Dehra, Hamirpur, and Nalagarh. These seats were vacated by Independent MLAs who defected to the BJP, presenting an opportunity for the ruling party to bolster its numbers in the Assembly.
Although the Congress has already achieved a majority in the Assembly by winning four out of six seats in the by-polls held concurrently with the Lok Sabha election, the BJP is optimistic about its chances in these three constituencies. The by-polls will be a crucial test for both parties, with the BJP seeking to make gains and the Congress aiming to consolidate its position.
In the Dehra constituency, a high-stakes battle is unfolding between Kamlesh Thakur, the Congress candidate and wife of Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, and Hoshiyar Singh, the BJP's nominee. Notably, Hoshiyar Singh was one of the three Independent MLAs who switched sides from the Congress to the BJP, making this contest a significant test of allegiances.
Besides Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, the assembly by-polls are also scheduled for Bihar, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.
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