The Election Commission Sunday announced by-elections to five Assembly constituencies, two in Gujarat and one each in Kerala, Punjab and West Bengal, on June 19, while leaving out two Jammu and Kashmir seats where bypolls are overdue for now. The counting of votes will be held on June 23, the poll body said. In Gujarat, the bypoll to the Kadi seat was necessitated following the death of sitting BJP MLA Karsanbhai Punjabhai Solanki. The Visavadar seat in the state had fallen vacant following the resignation of AAP MLA Bhayani Bhupendrabhai Gandubhai. The Nilambur seat in Kerala fell vacant following the resignation of sitting MLA P V Anvar and Ludhiana West in Punjab became vacant upon the death of MLA Gurpreet Bassi Gogi. By-election to the Kaliganj Assembly seat in West Bengal has been necessitated due to the death of sitting MLA Nasiruddin Ahamed. The EC did not announce bypolls for the Nagrota and Budgam Assembly constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir, which have been vacant since October 2024. After he was elected from two seats on October 8, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah resigned from one, Budgam, on October 21. The Nagrota seat fell vacant upon the death of MLA Devender Singh Rana on October 31. As per Section 151A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, the Election Commission is required to fill casual vacancies in Parliament and State Legislatures within six months. However, the EC, in consultation with the Central government, can go beyond this period if it is difficult to hold the by-election within the said period. According to EC sources, the commission had earlier certified that it would not be holding the by-elections in the UT within the six-month period. While the cold weather and Ramzan and Eid were cited among reasons for not holding the bypolls in March and April, the April 22 Pahalgam terrorist attack and the subsequent military hostilities between India and Pakistan have led to further delay. The EC would take a decision in the due course, it is learnt.
