Chitrakoot assembly bypoll on Nov 9, counting on Nov 12

BHOPAL: Chitrakoot assembly seat in Satna district that fell vacant after the death of Congress MLA Prem Singh will go to bypoll on November 9. Election Commission that announced the bypoll schedule on Friday, said counting of votes and results will be held on November 12.
According to the schedule, notification for by-polls will be released by October 16 while October 23 would be the last date for filing of nominations.Scrutiny of nominations will be held on October 24 and the last day for withdrawal of candidature is October 26. The election process after results will be completed by November 14.
Three time-MLA, Prem Singh, 65, passed away on May 29 after battling with severe diabetic complications. The constituency will go for bypolls exactly a year before the 2018 assembly elections.
Chitrakoot is considered the area of influence of former Union minister Arjun Singh faction of the Congress party, now led by the deceased leader’s son and leader of opposition Ajay Singh.
In 1990, the seat elected the Janata Dal and in 1993, the BSP’s candidate. Prem Singh, who was a prominent member of the Arjun Singh faction, contested the seat in 1998 and won by a margin of 27,924 votes. In 2003, when Congress party was nearly wiped out from the state with the party getting only 38 out of total 230 seats – Prem Singh retained Chitrakoot, though his victory margin decreased to 8,799 votes.
In the next assembly polls in 2008, Prem Singh lost by a slim margin of 722 votes to BJP’s Surendra Singh Gaherwar. However, he claimed the Chitrakoot for the Congress in 2013 by a margin of 12,000 votes.
Though Mungawali assembly seat has also been vacated after the death of senior Congress MLA and former minister Mahendra Singh Kalukhera and the state could see another bypoll soon, yet Chitrakoot will be a fight where both BJP and Congress will test their might. Congress would leave no stones unturned to retain its seat while BJP would want to win it to prove it is still on an electoral victory roller-coaster.