NEW DELHI: On Thursday, by-elections for three Lok Sabha seats and seven assembly seats in five states and one union territory got underway. Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha was one of the well-known candidates running.
On Sunday, the votes will be counted for the byelections in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Tripura, Andhra Pradesh, and Jharkhand.
All eyes are on the AAP, which is facing its first test of popularity following its spectacular showing in the assembly elections, in the byelection for Punjab's Sangrur Lok Sabha constituency.
The bypolls come at a time when Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is facing Opposition over the law-and-order situation and the killing of Punjabi musician Sidhu Moosewala.
Dalvir Singh Goldy, a former Dhuri MLA, is the contender for the main opposition Congress, while Kewal Dhillon, a former Barnala MLA who joined the saffron party on June 4, is the candidate for the BJP.
Shiromani Akali Dal candidate Kamaldeep Kaur is the sister of Balwant Singh Rajoana, who was found guilty in the murder of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh (SAD). Simranjit Singh Mann, the leader of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar), is also a candidate.
Bhagwant Mann resigned as an MP after winning the Dhuri seat in the February 20 Assembly elections, leaving the Sangrur Lok Sabha seat open. Azamgarh and Rampur, two Lok Sabha constituencies regarded as the strongholds of the opposition Samajwadi Party, are holding by-elections.
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