 "Is Shashi Tharoor’s breakup with Congress inevitable?")
 "‘Naxalism will end in India by March 2026’: Amit Shah at CRPF Raising Day parade")
Assembly By-Election 2019 LIVE Updates: Polling for Nawada, Katol, Selsella, Aizawl West-I and Aonglenden constituencies began on Thursday at 7 am and will end at 5 pm. By-elections will be held in five Assembly constituencies, including Nawada, Katol, Selsella, Aizawl West-I and Aonglenden on 11 April. On the same day, the first phase of Lok Sabha elections and Assembly polls in four states will be conducted as well. In Nagaland’s Aonglenden Assembly constituency, Congress’ Alemjongshi Longkumer and Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party’s (NDPP) Sharingain Longkumer are the only candidates. The by-election was necessitated due to death of NDPP legislator Imtikumzuk in September 2018. In Bihar’s Nawada, a bypoll was necessitated after RJD legislator Raj Ballabh Yadav was disqualified after he was convicted in a rape case. Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) leader Lalduhoma vacated the Aizawl West-I constituency in December last year, necessitating a by-poll for the seat. A ZPM statement said that he decided to retain the Serchhip seat after consultation with senior leaders. The Selsella legislative Assembly seat in Meghalaya’s West Garo Hills felt vacant due to the death of sitting Congress legislator Clement Marak. Maharashtra’s Katol constituency fell vacant after Ashish Deshmukh, the then sitting MLA, resigned from the BJP and state legislature on 2 October, 2018. The bypoll to this constituency faced opposition, with a PIL in the Nagpur bench of Bombay high court seeking its cancellation as whoever gets elected will have a short term of three months before the state Assembly elections are announced. NCP leader Sharad Pawar also criticised the Election Commission’s decision to hold these bypolls.
Assembly By-Election 2019 Highlights: Polling for Nawada, Katol, Selsella, Aizawl West-I and Aonglenden constituencies begins
Assembly By-Election 2019 LIVE Updates: Polling for Nawada, Katol, Selsella, Aizawl West-I and Aonglenden constituencies began on Thursday at 7 am and will end at 5 pm
)
Unprecedented security arrangements in Nawada constituency
Bihar Director General of Police Gupteshwar Pandey told news agency UNI that votes would be cast for by-election to Nawada Assembly constituncy amid unprecedented security arrangements. He said close watch would be kept in all constituencies going for poll.
Voting for Aizawl West-I Assembly constituency begins
Three candidates are in fray for Aizawl West-I Assembly constituency. Polling for the seat began today at 7 am and will end at 5 pm.
Three candidates in the fray for the by-poll to the Aizawl West-I Assembly seat are Zothantluanga of the ruling MNF, Lalbuanga Sailo, an Independent supported by ZPM and the Congress and Rev Zaichhawna Hlawndo of the ‘Zoram Thar’ party.
Hindustani Awam Morcha fields Dhirendra Kumar from Nawada assembly constituency
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) shared one seat each in assembly by-elections to Nawada and Dehri in Bihar. RJD will field Mohammed Firoz Hussain from Dehri assembly constituency, which would go to the poll in the seventh and final phase on 19 May.
The by-poll to Nawada and Dehri constituencies were necessitated following the conviction of RJD MLA Raj Ballabh Yadav in a minor rape case and conviction of another RJD MLA Ilyas Hussain in bitumen scam
The controversy around Katol Assembly seat
Maharashtra’s Katol constituency fell vacant after Ashish Deshmukh, the then sitting MLA, resigned from the BJP and state legislature in October, 2018.
On 1 April, the Supreme Court had rejected Election Commission’s special leave petition seeking respite from the stay imposed by Nagpur bench of Bombay high court on holding bypoll for Katol assembly constituency on 11 April.
The petition before Nagpur bench of Bombay HC had said Section 151A of the Representation of the People Act 1951 mandates the Election Commission to fill casual vacancies in the Houses of Parliament and State Legislatures through bypolls within six months from the date of occurrence of the vacancy, provided the remainder of the term of a member in relation to a vacancy is one year or more.
Ready for smooth conduct of voting in Nagaland: Chief Electoral Officer
The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Nagaland Abhijit Sinha appealed to the electorate to exercise their franchise for the Lok Sabha election and by-election to the Aonglenden Assembly seat without any fear and ensure ethical and informed voting.
Sinha also urged the 12,13,777 electorates, including over 16,000 first time voters, not to be influenced by any inducement but to consciously use their franchise.