Assembly, Lok Sabha bypolls: Why can't party leaderships pick up fresh candidates?

By Nava Thakuria*

As India's billion plus populace are watching an initiative under ‘one nation, one election’ policy by the Union government in New Delhi proposing to go for simultaneous elections for Lok Sabha, State legislative assemblies and local government bodies across the country with an aim to reduce the electoral expenditure, the recent by-polls narrated a different story. The special elections, conducted for 48 legislative assembly constituencies in 14 States (along with two Parliamentary constituencies in Kerala and Maharashtra) divulged an important fact that no less than 41 assembly seats needed the by-polls as those were vacated by the respective legislators after they were elected to the lower house of Indian Parliament.

One may wonder how all these members of State legislative assemblies turned Parliamentarians became so essential for the concerned political parties to achieve electoral successes in the last general elections that embraced over 968 million electorates. Was it not possible for the party leaderships to pick up fresh candidates with a higher percentage of winnability (and allowing the MLAs to complete their terms) for the Parliamentary polls? Should it have been a wise practice for them to help the millions of direct & indirect taxpayers in saving a huge volume of electoral expenditure to fill the space created by those newly elected members of 18th Lok Sabha!

According to the Election Commission of India (ECI), except seven assembly constituencies (two each in Rajasthan and Sikkim, one each in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh) all other seats became vacant as their representatives shifted their working space to New Delhi after Parliamentary electoral successes. Rajasthan reported the death of two MLAs in Salumber and Ramgarh seats, where another legislator passed away in Uttarakhand’s Kedarnath constituency. Disqualification of a legislator necessitated the by-polls in Sishamau (Uttar Pradesh). In Sikkim, by-polls became necessary as its government chief Prem Singh Tamang vacated one seat to continue with Rhenock constituency. Amazingly, Namchi-Singhithang seat was deserted by CM’s wife Krishna Kumari Rai (reasons best known to her only) soon after taking the oath. Finally Vijaypur (Madhya Pradesh) legislator changed his party affiliation ensuring an obligatory resignation.

Out of nine assembly constituencies of Uttar Pradesh, which went to by-polls recently, eight seats were vacated by the legislators to become MPs. Samajwadi Party (SP) chief, Akhilesh Yadav marched to Lok Sabha leaving Karhal seat vacant. Another SP leader Ziaur Rehman left the Kundarki seat after successful LS elections. Katehari seat was deserted by SP leader Lalji Verma and Chandan Chauhan (RLD) left Meerapur seat. Similarly, Ghaziabad seat was abandoned by Atul Garg (Bharatiya Janata Party) whereas Vinod Kumar Bind left Majhawan seat. BJP legislator Anoop Pradhan Balmiki vacated Khair and Praveen Patel (BJP) left the Phulpur seat.

In Rajasthan, five assembly seats were abandoned by sitting legislators to fight LS elections successfully and thus compelled the ECI to conduct by-polls. Jhunjhunu assembly seat was vacated by Brijendra Singh Ola (Indian National Congress) after LS polls. Another Congress legislator Harish Chandra Meena vacated the Deoli-Uniara seat and Murari Lal Meena left the Dausa seat. RLP chief Hanuman Beniwal left Khinwsar seat and Raj Kumar Roat (BAP) vacated Chorasi.

By-polls in all six constituencies of West Bengal, where the assembly elections are due within two years, became necessary as the respective legislators successfully participated in the 2024 national elections. Trinamool Congress representative Jagdish Chandra Basunia vacated Sitai seat and Manoj Tigga (BJP) left Madarihat seat. Partha Bhowmick (TMC) vacated the Naihati seat and another TMC legislator Sk Nurul Islam abandoned Haroa seat. June Maliah (TMC) left Medinipur seat and another party man Arup Chakraborty vacated the Taldangra seat. Punjab also witnessed four sitting MLAs joining the Lok Sabha. Gidderbaha seat was vacated by Congress legislator Raja Warring and another Congress leader Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa abandoned the Dera Baba Nanak seat. Raj Kumar Chabbewal (AAP) left Chabbewal and another AAP leader Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer vacated the Barnala seat.

Similarly, Bihar that is awaiting assembly elections by next year embraced by-polls to fill up four assembly seats as the legislators shifted their working space to New Delhi. Sudama Prasad (CPI-ML-L) vacated Tarari seat and Sudhakar Singh (Rashtriya Janata Dal) left Ramgarh seat. Similarly, Imamganj seat was abandoned by Jitan Ram Manjhi (HAM-Secular) and Belganj seat was vacated by RJD’s Surendra Prasad Yadav.

Three assembly seats in Karnataka were also vacated by sitting MLAs inviting the by-polls. Basavaraj Bommai (BJP) left Shiggaon seat, whereas E Tukaram (INC) vacated Sandur seat. Channapatna seat was relinquished by HD Kumaraswamy (JD-S). Two seats in Kerala fell vacant as both the legislators participated fruitfully in LS polls. Congress leader Shafi Parambil vacated Palakkad seat and K Radhakrishnan (CPM) left Chelakkara seat. In Madhya Pradesh, former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan (BJP) vacated Budhni seat. Raipur City South assembly constituency of Chhattisgarh was vacated by Brijmohan Agrawal (BJP). Vav assembly seat of Gujarat was left by Geniben Nagaji Thakor (INC).

Five seats of Assam, where assembly elections are due in 2026, along with one assembly constituency of Meghalaya also went for by-polls as all the legislators were elected to Lok Sabha. Samaguri seat was vacated by Congress legislator Rakibul Hussain, whereas BJP’s Parimal Suklabaidya left Dholai seat. Another BJP legislator Ranjit Dutta abandoned the Behali seat and Sidli seat was vacated by Jayanta Basumatary (United Peoples’ Party-Liberal). Asom Gana Parishad legislator Phani Bhusan Choudhury vacated the Bongaigaon seat. Meghalaya’s Gambegre assembly constituency was deserted by Congress leader Saleng A Sangma.

Should not these statistics indicate clearly that the recent by-polls could have been limited to less than seven assembly constituencies if the political parties (irrespective of their ideologies or position in the governments) behaved little responsively? When will the electorates of India come above their loyalty, affiliation or inclination to any political party and raise voices for a colossal electoral reform in the largest democracy on Earth?

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*Senior journalist

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