New Delhi: The Election Commission on Saturday announced bypolls on September 30 to three assembly constituencies in West Bengal, including the Bhabanipur seat where chief minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Mamata Banerjee intends to contest. The counting of votes will be done on October 3.
This will allow Mamata Banerjee a chance to become a member of the state legislative assembly, and continue to be the chief minister of West Bengal.
Banerjee had moved out of her traditional Bhabanipur seat to fight in Nandigram during the assembly polls earlier this year but lost to her former close aide Suvendhu Adhikari who contested on a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket.
Adhikari is now the leader of Opposition in the West Bengal assembly.
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Veteran TMC leader Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay had vacated the Bhabanipur seat, days after the results were declared.
Bypolls will also be held in one assembly constituency of Odisha on September 30.
The Election Commission said in a statement that bypolls will also be held in Samserganj and Jangirpur of West Bengal and Pipli in Odisha.
According to an Election Commission press note, the West Bengal chief secretary has informed that in view of administrative exigencies and public interest and to avoid a vacuum in the state, bypolls for Bhabanipur, from where chief minister Banerjee intends to contest elections, may be conducted.
“While the commission has decided not to hold bye-elections in other 31 assembly constituencies and three parliamentary constituencies (across India), considering the constitutional exigency and special request from state of West Bengal, it has decided to hold bye-election in 159-Bhabanipur AC,” it said.
(With inputs from PTI)