Bypolls to seven assembly seats on Sept 5: EC

Bypolls to seven assembly seats including the one vacated following the death of Congress veteran Oommen Chandy will be held on September 5, the Election Commission said on Tuesday.

Counting of votes will take place on September 8.

The bypolls will be held for two seats in Tripura, and one seat each in Kerala, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

The by-election to the Dumri assembly seat in Jharkhand was necessitated following the death of sitting MLA Jagarnath Mahto. Boxanagar and Dhanpur seats in Tripura will go for bypoll due to the demise of sitting MLA Samsul Haque and resignation of Pratima Bhoumik, the EC said.

Dhupguri assembly seat in West Bengal was vacated following the death of sitting assembly member Bishnu Pada Ray, while the Ghosi seat in Uttar Pradesh fell vacant after SP’s Dara Singh Chauhan resigned to join the BJP.

The Bageshwar seat in Uttarakhand fell vacant after the demise of sitting MLA Chandan Ram Das.

Chandy was the MLA from the Puthuppally seat in Kerala. He represented the seat for over 50 years.