The suspense regarding the by-elections to be held on 3 assembly seats of Uttar Pradesh is continuously increasing. Mau’s Ghosi, Sonbhadra’s Duddhi and Bareilly’s Faridpur assembly seats are vacant due to the death of their respective MLAs, but the dates of by-elections have not been announced yet by the Election Commission. Especially the most discussion is going on in political circles regarding Ghosi seat, because it has been 6 months since this seat became vacant.
Generally, when an assembly seat becomes vacant, it is necessary to hold a by-election within 6 months. In such a situation, due to non-announcement of election schedule, speculation has intensified among political parties and local leaders. The Election Commission has not yet given any clear indication in this regard.
Secretariat sent information to the commission
The three seats in the state where by-elections are to be held include Ghosi, Duddhi and Faridpur seats. Ghosi assembly seat had become vacant after the death (20 November 2025) of Samajwadi Party MLA Sudhakar Singh. The Assembly Secretariat had declared the seat vacant and sent its information to the Election Commission.
Professor Shyam Bihari Lal, BJP MLA from Faridpur seat of Bareilly, died in the first week of January 2026, while Samajwadi Party MLA Vijay Singh from Duddhi died in the second week of January. The information about vacancy of both the seats was also sent to the Election Commission in January itself.
Most eyes on Ghosi
Among the three seats of the state, the most discussion is taking place about Ghosi assembly seat. Next week, six months of vacancy for this seat will be completed, but till now neither the notification has been issued by the Election Commission nor the election schedule has been announced.
Political experts say that under normal circumstances the by-election process should have started within 6 months. In such a situation, the continuous delay has raised many questions.
Was the delay due to SIR?
According to sources, one of the main reasons for the delay in the by-elections is being considered as the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list. This process, which started in the state at the end of October, was extended twice. However, the Election Commission has already released the final voter list on April 10. Even after more than a month has passed, no formal announcement has been made regarding the by-election. This is the reason why there is confusion among political parties as well as voters.
What does the law say on by-elections?
The provisions for holding by-elections are given in Sections 150 and 151A of the Representation of the People Act. Under Section 150, if any assembly seat becomes vacant, the Election Commission has to issue a notification and complete the election process. Whereas according to Section 151A, by-election should generally be held within 6 months to fill the vacant seat.
However, some exceptions have also been prescribed in the law. If the remaining term of the Assembly is less than one year or the Commission, after consultation with the Central Government, feels that it is not possible to hold elections, then the by-election can also be postponed.
Term of UP Assembly still remaining
The first meeting of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly was held on 23 May 2022. On this basis, the tenure of the present assembly will be considered till 22 May 2027 next year. In this way, there is still about one year left for the term of the Assembly to end. In such a situation, as per the election rules, it is considered necessary to hold by-elections on the vacant seats. It has been almost 4 months since Faridpur and Duddhi seats became vacant, while Ghosi seat has crossed the limit of 6 months.
Political analyst Rajendra Kumar says that the Commission should explain why elections are not being conducted. Otherwise allegations will be leveled against the Election Commission and people’s confidence will also be lost. The rule is that by-elections should be held within 6 months. There is still less than a year left, so elections can be held together as usual. But if we look at the date of vacant seat, more than a year has passed. In such a situation, the problem is why the Election Commission is not conducting the elections.
No official statement has come out from the Election Commission yet. An attempt was made to contact the state’s Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa, but no response could be received in this regard. In such a situation, now all eyes are on the Election Commission as to when it will announce the schedule of by-elections on these 3 important assembly seats of Uttar Pradesh.
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