Bypolls 2023: Voting begins on seven seats in six states; INDIA Bloc faces debut electoral challenge

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Alliance or INDIA against the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) ahead of crucial state assembly polls later this year and the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, polling for by-election to seven assembly seats in six states will be held on Tuesday. Polling for the bypolls in Ghosi constituency in Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand’s Dumri, Dhanpur and Boxanagar in Tripura, Uttarakhand's Bageshwar, Dhupguri in West Bengal and Puthuppally in Kerala will begin at 7am. The counting of votes will be held on September 8.

Also Read: Bypolls 2023 LIVE Updates: Voting begins on 7 seats, litmus test for INDIA bloc The opposition alliance comprises 28 parties including the Congress, NCP faction led by Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena (UBT), TMC, JMM, AAP, DMK, NC, PDP, CPI(M), CPI, RJD, SP and RLD. The Ghosi assembly seat became vacant when Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA and prominent OBC leader Dara Singh Chauhan resigned and subsequently joined the BJP. Chauhan is now running for the same seat as part of the NDA alliance, while the Samajwadi Party's Sudhakar Singh, backed by the Congress and Left parties, is also in the fray.

Chauhan had previously served as a minister in the prior BJP government led by Yogi Adityanath. On January 12 of the previous year, he resigned from the cabinet and switched to the SP. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath spearheaded the BJP's campaign, while Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav held a rally in Ghosi.

According to Yadav, the election has the potential to bring about a transformation in the nation's political landscape. The Dhupguri assembly constituency in north Bengal is witnessing a three-cornered contest among the Trinamool Congress, BJP and the Congress-supported CPI(M). While the TMC had won the