New Delhi: Preparations have begun for the by-elections to be held on November 11th for eight assembly seats in seven states and union territories. These by-elections will be held in Budgam and Nagrota constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir, Anta in Rajasthan, Ghatshila in Jharkhand, Jubilee Hills in Telangana, Tarn Taran in Punjab, Dampa in Mizoram, and Nuapada in Odisha. Campaigning for these seats has also come to a halt ahead of the elections.
In Budgam, Jammu and Kashmir, National Conference’s Aga Mahmood will face PDP candidate Aga Syed Muntazir Mehdi. This by-election was necessitated by Omar Abdullah’s resignation from the Budgam assembly seat and retaining the Ganderbal constituency.
The Nagrota seat fell vacant after the death of Devendra Singh Rana.
The Nagrota seat fell vacant after the death of BJP leader and Nagrota MLA Devendra Singh Rana. In Nagrota, Shamim Begum of the National Conference is contesting against Devyani Rani of the BJP. The Congress candidate withdrew her nomination in favor of Begum.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which has one MLA in the Union Territory, Mehraj Malik, has also fielded Deeba Khan from the Budgam constituency and Joginder Singh from the Nagrota seat.
Congress-BJP contest in Anta Assembly seat
The Anta Assembly seat in Baran district in Rajasthan is witnessing a two-way contest between Congress candidate Pramod Jai Bhaya and BJP’s Morpal Suman. This by-election was necessitated after BJP leader Kanwar Lal Meena was disqualified following his conviction in a 2005 case. He was accused of threatening a government official and was convicted in May this year.
The Ghatsila seat in Jharkhand is witnessing a high-profile contest between Babulal Soren, son of former Chief Minister and Saraikela MLA Champai Soren, and the BJP’s Grand Alliance candidate, Somesh Chandra Soren.
BJP’s Opportunity to Strengthen Its Hold in the Nuapada By-election
The Nuapada by-election is a golden opportunity for the BJP to further strengthen its hold in the state. The Bharatiya Janata Party’s Jai Dholakia will seek to consolidate the party’s position in the state assembly as he faces off against the BJD’s Snehangini Chhuria and the Congress’s Ghasiram Majhi.
Early in the morning, buses from various political parties would park in villages for meetings and road shows in the cities. After the leaders’ events, villagers would also be seen sitting on the village roads for a while, waiting for the vehicles to return to the city. Meanwhile, the evenings in the villages were now spent in feasts and banquets, and the streets echoed with election campaign songs. Being a border area, election campaign songs in Odia, Hindi, Laria, and Sambalpuri were heard everywhere. However, this subsided after the campaigning ended.
Jubilee Hills By-election
The campaign for the Jubilee Hills by-election in Telangana witnessed a heated political debate between the BJP and the Congress, with both parties trading accusations and counter-accusations. The contest between backward class leader Naveen Yadav of the Congress and Gopinath’s widow, Sunita of the BJP, will be closely watched. The BJP has nominated Lankala Deepak Reddy as its candidate.
In Tarn Taran, Punjab, the BJP’s star campaigners campaigned to further push back the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) following the party’s defeat in Delhi. The BJP has fielded Harjeet Singh Sandhu against Harmeet Singh Sandhu of the Aam Aadmi Party and Congress candidate Karanbir Singh Burj. The seat fell vacant after the death of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Kashmir Singh Sohal in June 2025.
The Dampa constituency in Mizoram is one of the constituencies where by-elections will be held. The candidates are Lalhmingthanga Sailo of the BJP, John Rotluangliana of the Congress, R. Lalthangliana of the MNF, and Vanlalsailowa of the ZPM. The results will be declared on November 14, along with the Bihar Assembly elections.
