Mumbai: Half the vacant seats are in Madhya Pradesh, where the result will be viewed by many as a comment on the BJP’s Jyothiraditya Scindia and the clout he may wield since he quit the Congress in March. Seven seats will be filled in UP, with the one held by the BJP’s Kuldeep Singh Sengar the highlight; it fell vacant after he was convicted in the Unnao rape case in December last year.

Other states where by polls were held – on November 3 – include Karnataka, Gujarat, Odisha and Telangana. By polls for seats in Manipur and a Lok Sabha constituency in Bihar were held November 7. All elections took place amid strict restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 16 of these seats are from the Gwalior and Chambal regions of the state, which are widely regarded as strongholds of the Scindia family.

The BJP needs to win nine to claim a simple majority; it is currently propped up by smaller parties and independents. Voting in the state was largely peaceful, except for two reports of firing in the Morena Sumawali seat.

On November 7 four seats in Manipur went to the polls. This was after the Congress incumbents quit joining the BJP. A bypoll for the Valmiki Nagar Lok Sabha seat in Bihar was also held; the seat fell vacant after the JDU’s Baidyanath Mahto died in February.