India Announces Bypolls for 8 Assembly Seats

The Election Commission of India announced on Sunday that bypolls will be held for eight vacant assembly seats across several states, with polling scheduled for April 9 in five constituencies and April 23 in the remaining three. The vacancies stem from the deaths of sitting lawmakers, and votes from all contests will be counted on May 4.

In Maharashtra, bypolls for the Baramati seat in Pune district and Rahuri in Ahmednagar district are set for April 23. The Baramati vacancy arose after the death of Ajit Pawar, the 66-year-old Nationalist Congress Party leader, eight-term MLA, and six-time deputy chief minister, in a plane crash on January 28 while landing at Baramati Airport. Pawar had recently joined the BJP-led Mahayuti government. His wife, Sunetra Pawar, 62, who was sworn in as deputy chief minister on January 31, will contest the seat as the NCP candidate. Currently a Rajya Sabha member and not in the state legislature, she must win a seat within six months to retain her position. Sources indicate opposition parties, including the Sharad Pawar-led NCP faction, plan to refrain from fielding candidates in Baramati as a tribute, increasing prospects for an uncontested win.