Assembly bypolls: Polling for 13 seats in UP and Punjab, one in Kerala rescheduled from Nov 13 to 20
New Delhi, Nov 4: The Election Commission on Monday rescheduled from November 13 to November 20 the assembly bypolls to all nine and four seats in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, respectively, and one seat in Kerala in view of festivals, an official statement said.
In Kerala, the byelection to the Palakkad assembly seat has been rescheduled, while that in Chelakkara assembly and Wayanad Lok Sabha seats will be held as scheduled earlier on November 13.
Parties including Congress, BJP, BSP and RLD had urged the poll body to reschedule the bypolls in view of various festivals, saying that it could impact voter turnout.
According to the Congress, a significant portion of the electorate in the Palakkad assembly seat in Kerala will celebrate the festival of Kalpathi Ratholsavam from November 13 to 15.
In Punjab, the party had said, the 555th Prakash Parv of Sri Guru Nanak Dev will be celebrated on November 15 and an 'akhand path' will be organised from November 13 onwards.
The BJP, BSP and the RLD had said that in Uttar Pradesh, people travel for three to four days ahead of Kartik Purnima, which will be celebrated on November 15.
As per the earlier schedule announced on October 15, bypolls to the Wayanad parliamentary seat and 47 assembly seats were to be held on November 13 along with phase one elections for the Jharkhand assembly.
Bypolls to the Nanded Lok Sabha seat and the Kedarnath assembly constituency were scheduled for November 20 along with Maharashtra assembly polls and phase two of Jharkhand elections. There is no change in these two bypolls.
The four Punjab assembly seats where bypolls are being held are Dera Baba Nanak, Chabbewal, Gidderbaha and Barnala.
The UP assembly seats where bypolls are being held are: Meerapur, Kundarki, Ghaziabad, Khair, Karhal, Sishamau, Phulpur, Katehari and Majhawan.
The date of counting for all the byelections will remain unchanged -- November 23 -- when votes will also be counted for Maharashtra and Jharkhand assembly elections.
In the past too, the EC has shifted voting dates for assembly elections and by-elections in various states.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
