NEW DELHI: The Election Commission on Saturday announced holding bypolls on September 30 in one assembly constituency of Odisha and three of West Bengal, including the Bhabanipur seat where chief minister and Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee intends to contest.
The results will be declared on October 3.
The announcement would come as a relief to Mamata Banerjee who lost the assembly election from Nandigram. This will allow Mamata a chance to become a member of the state legislative assembly. She needs to win this bypoll and get elected to continue as the CM.
Mamata had moved out of her traditional Bhabanipur seat to fight in Nandigram during the Assembly polls earlier this year but lost to his former close aide Suvendhu Adhikari who contested on a BJP ticket.
Adhikari is now the Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly.
The Election Commission said in a statement that it has decided to hold a by-election in Bhabanipur Assembly Constituency of West Bengal. Bypolls will also be held in Samserganj and Jangirpur of West Bengal and Pipli in Odisha on September 30. Counting will be held on October 3.
According to an Election Commission press note, the West Bengal chief secretary has informed that in view of administrative exigencies and public interest and to avoid a vacuum in the state, bye-elections for Bhabanipur, from where CM Mamata Banerjee intends to contest elections, may be conducted.
“While the commission has decided not to hold bye-elections in other 31 Assembly Constituencies and three Parliamentary constituencies (across India), considering the constitutional exigency and special request from state of West Bengal, it has decided to hold bye-election in 159-Bhabanipur AC,” it said.
Notably, the general elections to the Legislative Assembly of West Bengal, 2021 were held in eight phases between March 27, 2021, to April 29, 2021, and concluded on May 2, 2021, with the announcement of results.
The Mamata Banerjee-led TMC registered a landslide victory in polls winning 213 seats in the 294-member West Bengal assembly. Despite aggressive campaigning, the BJP lost the polls but emerged as the second-largest party with 77 seats.
Source: Times of India
