Bypolls dates announced: Wayanad Lok Sabha, 47 assembly seats to vote on November 13, says Election Commission

The bypolls for 48 assembly constituencies and two Lok Sabha seats will be held in two phases along with the assembly elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand, the Election Commission said on October 15.

The bypolls for as many as 47 assembly seats and one Lok Sabha seat will be held on November 13, along with the first phase of Jharkhand assembly polls. The bypolls for remaining 1 assembly seats, Kedarnath in Uttarakhand and Nanded Lok Sabha seat in Maharashtra will be held on November 20, along with Maharashtra polls, the poll panel said.

The counting of votes will be done on November 23, along with Maharashtra and Jharkhand, the ECI said.

The Lok Sabha seat going for bypolls in November 13 is Wayanad, vacated by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi after he won it in 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Rahul Gandhi, instead retained Rae Bareli which he also work in 2024 general elections.

Priyanka Gandhi's electoral debut from Wayanad

The Congress party will field Priyanka Gandhi, Rahul's sister, from Wayanad seat. Rahul had won this seat in Kerala in 2029 too.

The 47 assembly seats voting during bypolls on November 13 include 9 in Uttar Pradesh. These are Katehari (Ambedkar Nagar), Karhal (Mainpuri), Meerapur (Muzaffarnagar), Ghaziabad, Majhawan (Mirzapur), Sishamau (Kanpur city), Khair (Aligarh), Phulpur (Prayagraj) and Kundarki (Moradabad).

Eight of the these seats fell vacant after the MLAs were elected as MPs in the Lok Sabha polls2024. The bypoll on the tenth seat, Sishamau was mandated after the disqualification of SP MLA Irfan Solanki.

The bypolls for 9 assembly seats in UP is a test for opposition after its performance in Lok Sabha polls 2024 in the state, and for the ruling BJP ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections in state.

The SP won 37 seats, while it's INDIA bloc partner, Congress managed to secure six Lok Sabha seats, providing a morale boost for a party that had been sidelined in the state for years.

In the 2022 UP assembly elections, the SP won 5 of these ten seats namely Sisamau, Katehari, Karhal, and Kundarki. The BJP won in three -- Phulpur, Ghaziabad, and Khair, with the Nishad Party winning in Majhawan. The Meerapur seat was held by the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), a former ally of the SP, now with the BJP.