Polling underway for Assembly bypolls in Gujarat’s Jasdan, Jharkhand’s Kolebira

Polling is underway for Assembly by-elections in Jasdan in Gujarat and Jharkhand’s Kolebira. The bypoll in Jasdan was necessitated as the sitting MLA, Kunvarji Bavaliya, parted ways with the Congress party to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In Kolebira constituency of Jharkhand, the seat was vacated after Jharkhand party MLA Enos Ekka was convicted for a teacher’s murder.

The bypoll in Gujarat’s Jasdan is considered to be a prestige battle between the BJP and the Congress, even as a total of eight candidates are in the fray from the constituency. Jasdan is believed to be a Congress bastion, but things might emerge different this time with Koli community strongman and former Congressman Bavaliya now contesting on a BJP ticket.

In a bid to retain its hold on the seat, the Congress party has fielded Avshar Nakia, who is also reportedly a strong Koli community leader and enjoys a good ground connect with party workers and locals.

Ahead of the bypoll on the seat, the Election Commission had sought a response from the Gujarat government on its announcement to waive electricity bills. The same was confirmed by Chief Electoral Officer of Gujarat.

In Kolebira Assembly constituency in Jharkhand, there are five candidates in the fray.

The main contest is between the Congress, BJP and Jharkhand Party. The BJP has fielded Basant Soreng, while the Congress candidate is Viksal Kongadi. The Jharkhand Party has put up Menon Ekka. The Congress is supported by all the opposition parties except the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM).

The JMM is supporting Menon Ekka who is the wife of former minister Enos Ekka.

The bypolls in Jasdan and Kolebira comes just days after results were declared for Assembly elections in five states – Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram. While the Congress managed to snatch power from the BJP in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) won in Telangana and the Mizo National Front (MNF) in Mizoram.