Avoidable secondary polls, a burden on taxpayers

India’s one billion-plus population is eyeing an initiative under the Union government’s “one nation, one election” policy in New Delhi, which proposes simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha, state legislative assemblies and local government bodies across the country to cut spending electoral. But, recent by-polls told a different story.

The special elections held for 48 legislative assembly constituencies in 14 states (along with two assembly constituencies in Kerala and Maharashtra) revealed an important fact. As many as 41 assembly seats needed by-polls, which were vacated by the respective legislators after they were elected to the lower house of the Indian parliament.

One may wonder how all these members of state legislative assemblies turned parliamentarians became so essential for the respective political parties to achieve electoral successes in the last general elections that embraced over 968 million electorates . Wasn’t it possible for the party leaders to choose new candidates with a higher winning percentage (and allow MPs to finish their terms) for the parliamentary polls? It should have been a wise practice for them to help millions of direct and indirect taxpayers to save a huge amount of election expenses to fill the gap created by those newly elected members of the 18th Lok Sabha!

According to the Election Commission of India (ECI), except for seven assembly constituencies (two each in Rajasthan and Sikkim, one each in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh), all other seats fell vacant as their representatives shifted workspace to New Delhi after parliamentary election successions. Rajasthan reported the death of two MLAs from Salumber and Ramgarh seats and another legislator died in Uttarakhand’s Kedarnath constituency. The disqualification of a legislator necessitated the by-polls in Sishamau (Uttar Pradesh). In Sikkim, by-polls became necessary as its chief minister Prem Singh Tamang vacated a seat to continue with Rhenock constituency. Amazingly, the Namchi-Singhithang seat was vacated by CM’s wife Krishna Kumari Rai (reasons best known only to her) soon after taking oath. Finally, the legislator from Vijaypur (Madhya Pradesh) switched party affiliations, securing a mandatory resignation.

Out of the nine assembly constituencies in Uttar Pradesh that went to polls recently, eight seats were vacated by legislators to become MPs. Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav has marched to the Lok Sabha, leaving the Karhal seat vacant. Another SP leader Ziaur Rehman vacated the Kundarki seat after the successful LS elections. The Katehari seat was abandoned by SP leader Lalji Verma and Chandan Chauhan (RLD) left the Meerapur seat. Similarly, the Ghaziabad seat was abandoned by Atul Garg (Bharatiya Janata Party), while Vinod Kumar Bind left the Majhawan seat. BJP legislator Anoop Pradhan Balmiki vacated Khair and Praveen Patel (BJP) vacated the Phulpur seat.

In Rajasthan, five assembly seats were abandoned by the sitting legislators to successfully fight the LS elections and thus forced the ECI to conduct by-polls. The Jhunjhunu assembly seat was vacated by Brijendra Singh Ola (Indian National Congress) after the LS polls. Another Congress legislator Harish Chandra Meena vacated the Deoli-Uniara seat and Murari Lal Meena vacated the Dausa seat. RLP chief Hanuman Beniwal vacated the Khinwsar seat and Raj Kumar Roat (BAP) vacated Chorasi.

The by-polls in all the six constituencies of West Bengal, where assembly elections are scheduled within two years, have become necessary as the respective legislators have successfully contested the 2024 national elections. Trinamool Congress representative Jagdish Chandra Basunia has vacated the Sitai seat and Manoj Tigga (BJP) vacated the Madarihat seat. Partha Bhowmick (TMC) vacated the Naihati seat and another TMC legislator, Sk Nurul Islam, abandoned the Haroa seat. June Maliah (TMC) vacated the Medinipur seat and another party man Arup Chakraborty vacated the Taldangra seat. Punjab also witnessed four sitting MPs joining the Lok Sabha. The Gidderbaha seat was vacated by Congress legislator Raja Warring and another Congress leader Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa dropped the Dera Baba Nanak seat. Raj Kumar Chabbewal (AAP) left Chabbewal and another AAP leader Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer vacated the Barnala seat.

Similarly, Bihar, which is awaiting assembly elections next year, adopted by-polls to fill four assembly seats, while legislators shifted their workspace to New Delhi. Sudama Prasad (CPI-ML-L) vacated the Tarari seat and Sudhakar Singh (Rashtriya Janata Dal) vacated the Ramgarh seat. Similarly, Imamganj seat was dropped by Jitan Ram Manjhi (HAM-Secular) and Belganj seat was vacated by RJD’s Surendra Prasad Yadav.

Three assembly seats in Karnataka were also left vacant by sitting MLAs inviting by-polls. Basavaraj Bommai (BJP) vacated the Shiggaon seat while E Tukaram (INC) vacated the Sandur seat. The Channapatna seat was dropped by HD Kumaraswamy (JD-S). Two seats in Kerala remained vacant as both the legislators participated fruitfully in the LS polls. Congress leader Shafi Parambil vacated the Palakkad seat and K Radhakrishnan (CPM) vacated the Chelakkara seat. In Madhya Pradesh, former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan (BJP) vacated Budhni’s seat. Raipur South assembly constituency in Chhattisgarh was vacated by Brijmohan Agrawal (BJP). The Gujarat assembly seat was vacated by Geniben Nagaji Thakor (INC).

Five seats in Assam, where assembly elections are due in 2026, along with one assembly constituency in Meghalaya were also polled as all legislators were elected to the Lok Sabha. The Samaguri seat was vacated by Congress legislator Rakibul Hussain, while BJP’s Parimal Suklabaidya vacated the Dholai seat. Another BJP legislator, Ranjit Dutta, abandoned the Behali seat and the Sidli seat was vacated by Jayanta Basumatary (United People’s Liberal Party). Asom Gana Parishad legislator Phani Bhusan Choudhury has vacated the Bongaigaon seat. Gambegre assembly constituency in Meghalaya was vacated by Congress leader Saleng A Sangma.

Shouldn’t these statistics clearly indicate that the recent by-polls could have been limited to less than seven assembly constituencies if the political parties (irrespective of their ideologies or position in governments) had behaved a little more responsively? When will India’s electorates transcend their loyalty, affiliation or inclination towards any political party and raise their voices for colossal electoral reform in the largest democracy on Earth?