The Election Commission of India on Saturday announced by-elections to three seats in West Bengal including Bhawanipur constituency. Bypolls will be held in Bhabnipur, Samserganj and Jangipur in West Bengal.
Bypolls to all the three seats will be held on September 30 and the results will be declared on October 3.
The announcement comes as a relief to Mamata Banerjee, who needs to win a bypoll to be elected as an MLA and remain the chief minister. Mamata Banerjee lost her seat to BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari by a narrow margin.
Mamata is expected to file her nomination from Bhabnipur in Kolkata, which was vacated by TMC candidate Shobhandeb Chattopadhyay, days after the results were declared in May this year.
In a statement, the Election Commission said that it has decided to hold by-elections in Bhawanipur assembly constituency of West Bengal. Bypolls will also be held in Samserganj and Jangirpur in West Bengal and Pipli in Odisha on September 30. Counting of votes will take place on October 3. According to the press note of the Election Commission, the Chief Secretary of West Bengal has informed in view of the administrative requirements. In public interest and to avoid a vacuum in the state, the bypoll to Bhawanipore, from where CM Mamata Banerjee intends to contest, may be held.
“While the Commission has decided not to hold bye-elections in another 31 assembly constituencies and three parliamentary constituencies (across India), considering the constitutional requirement and a special request from the State of West Bengal, it has decided to hold bye-elections in 159 constituencies. Have decided- Bhawanipur AC,” it said.
An NDTV report states that bypolls to 31 other constituencies have been postponed in the light of the COVID situation.
“…considering the constitutional requirement and the special request of the State of West Bengal, it has been decided to hold the bye-election for AC 159 – Bhabnipur. Very strict norms have been framed by the Commission to protect against COVID-19,” the top The election body reportedly said.
Mamata’s Trinamool Congress returned to power in Bengal winning 213 of the state’s 294 seats.
He had given his stronghold of Bhabinipur and instead contested from Nandigram against former TMC leader Suvendu Adhikari.
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