Madhya Pradesh by-polls: Litmus test for Jyotiraditya, voting on 28 seats today

In the current political scenario, the Bihar Assembly election is the centre of attention but by-elections are also scheduled in 56 Assembly seats across 11 states in the country on Tuesday.

These by-elections are important for both the BJP as well as the Opposition parties. The results will determine the acceptance or rejection of the record of the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the second term.

On Tuesday, November 3, by-elections will be held in Madhya Pradesh on 28 seats - the biggest chunk of Assembly seats going to polls.

The by-election in Madhya Pradesh is being held because 22 sitting MLAs of the former Congress government joined the BJP in March 2020, under the leadership of Jyotiraditya Scindia causing the 15-month-old Kamal Nath government to fall.

Soon, three other Congress MLAs joined the BJP which increased the tally to 25. The remaining three seats are vacant due to the death of incumbent MLAs.

The mathematics is simple. A total of 28 constituencies are going to the polls tomorrow and the Congress party must win 11 seats to make a possible return to power.

On the other hand, the BJP needs to win only 9 seats to ensure it remains in power for now.

In the 2018 Assembly elections, the Congress won 114 seats and fell two short of the majority in the 230-member House. However, they succeeded in cobbling support of four Independents, two BSP MLAs, and one SP MLA and formed the government. But after 22 MLAs on the behest of Jyotiraditya Scindia left the Congress to join the BJP and three other followed suit, the Congress government lost power.