An interesting day of bypolls makes it a tricky affair for the mainstream political parties. Voting has already begun for by-elections in 10 Assembly constituencies across 10 states and 4 Lok Sabha seats. No doubt, among the seats, Kairana in UP holds paramount importance in national perspective. This is yet another instance when the joint opposition is taking on the ruling BJP.

After the death of BJP MP Hukum Singh, the constituency fell vacant. His daughter Mriganka Singh is the party’s candidate for the bypoll and Rashtriya Lok Dal’s (RLD) Tabassum Hasan, who is supported by the Congress, Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party is competing with renewed zeal.

Apart from that, Assembly by-polls are held in Maharashtra (Palus Kadegaon constituency, UP (Noorpur), Bihar (Jokihat), Jharkhand (Gomia and Silli), Kerala (Chengannur), Meghalaya (Ampati), Punjab (Shahkot), Uttarakhand (Tharali) and West Bengal (Maheshtala).

The outcome of Kairana and Noorpur Assembly is going to be important considering the political fate of UP. Chengannur Assembly constituency, on the other hand, is presenting a fierce contest between ruling LDF and UDF candidates.

The tripartite contest in Shahkot Assembly seat in Punjab between Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal, and Aam Aadmi Party is another highlight of the day.

The Jokihat Assembly seat in Bihar definitely calls for a photo finish between ruling JD(U) and RJD.

Let’s not forget the polls in Meghalaya’s Ampati Assembly where former CM Mukul Sangma’s daughter Miani D. Shira of Congress is directly competing against Clement G. Momin of National People’s Party (NPP).

In Maharashtra, all the four major parties namely Congress, BJP, Shiv Sena and the NCP are locking horns which can definitely indicate a path for future discourse.

There is no denying the fact that bypolls do not necessarily indicate national mood and reflects more on local issues. Yet, Lok Sabha Elections being a year away, the election mandate is definitely going to have a significant impact on the national front.