Bypolls to Ghaziabad assembly seat on November 13, model code kicks in

Ghaziabad: Bypolls to Ghaziabad assembly constituency will be held on Nov 13 along with eight other UP seats, except Milkipur of Ayodhya district, the Election Commission announced on Tuesday.

DM Indra Vikram Singh, also district election officer, said the department will soon release a revised electoral roll for the byelection. With the announcement of the date, the model code of conduct has come into effect in the district.

Ghaziabad seat fell vacant after sitting MLA Atul Garg was elected to the Lok Sabha earlier this year. Garg, a two-term MLA, had outmuscled BSP to win the seat in the 2017 state polls.

The byelections are likely to be a significant test for BJP, especially after the party faced challenges in the recent Lok Sabha elections. NDA had managed to win only 36 seats, with the BJP winning 33, while its allies RLD winning two seats and the Apna Dal (Sonelal) securing one.

So far, only Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram), led by Chandrashekhar Azad ‘Ravan', has announced Satpal Choudhary as its candidate. The BSP, which had named Ravi Gautam as its candidate, expelled him for ‘indiscipline' on Oct 1 and is yet to announce his replacement. BJP and INDIA bloc are yet to name their candidates. Earlier, BJP office bearers told TOI that over a dozen candidates had thrown their hats in the ring from the seat for the bypolls.

Besides Ghaziabad, the assembly seats where byelections will be held are Katehari, Karhal, Meerapur, Kundarki, Phulpur, Sisamau, Majhawan and Kahir. Seven of these assembly seats fell vacant after its MLAs were elected to the Lok Sabha, while bypoll in Sisamau is being held due to the disqualification of SP MLA Irfan Solanki, who was convicted in a criminal case.

Bypoll to the Milkipur assembly seat was not announced as an election petition is pending in the high court against the candidate who had won the seat earlier.