Among these seven states three are BJP turf where regional parties are seen giving tough competition. While, Congress hold two while the Shiv Sena and the RJD had one each.

The BJP biggest challenge is to sustained the momentum from the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. The three states in which BJP is ruling party namely Haryana, UP and Maharashtra, the government is at stake — either as the single largest party or as a coalition partner.
The opposition parties will try to dominate the election and break the government gauge. BJP has to come up as most credible party on the national political landscape.

In today’s bypolls at Andheri (E), Maharashtra pressure is high as it is the first major election in Maharashtra since the change of guard at Mantralaya and the “split” in the Shiv Sena.

However, In a strategic step-back, BJP decides to skip Andheri polls and thus nullifying the contest between the two Sena factions.

The BJP candidate (also supported by the Shinde faction) withdrew his nomination, giving a virtual walkover to Rutuja Latke of the Thackeray faction. But the Thackeray-led camp in Sena has also been alleging that its political opponents are trying to influence voters to choose NOTA.

In Bihar too, this is the first major polls after the political “realignment” that saw JD(U) parting ways with the BJP and joining hands with RJD, Congress and some other parties to form a Grand Alliance government.

In Mokama district RJD’s Anant Singh convicted in a criminal case and has to leave the seat. The Grand Alliance has fielded his wife this time, to which BJP is trying to use the “criminal nexus” allegation and win the seat.

Whereas in Gopalganj seat former BJP MLA Subhash Singh wife is running for the polls after his demise from BJP side and likely to win the by-polls.

In Telangana after Komatireddy Raj Gopal Reddy quit the Congress and also as MLA in August, and joined the BJP the seat in Munugode seat was vacant. Congress, BJP and KCR’s TRS all three major political parties are contesting the by-polls and giving high competition to each other.

The Gola Gokrannath, UP the by-polls was necessitated after the death of BJP’s Arvind Giri.

With Congress and BSP not fielding candidates, it will be a direct fight between the BJP and SP. For the former, it seems to be more about its ego in terms of reinforcing its supremacy. For the latter, it can be more of a morale booster that can potentially make up for the loss faced in the assembly polls earlier this year.

Both parties will hope to ride the sympathy wave — BJP has fielded the late Giri’s 26-year-old son Aman. SP, that recently lost its patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, has fielded Vinay Tewari who unsuccessfully contested the polls from the seat in 2017 and 2022.

In Haryana Former CM Bhajan Lal’s family has never lost the Adampur seat since the creation of the state in 1966.

Now, Bhajan Lal’s grandson, Bhavya Bishnoi, is contesting as a BJP candidate.

The bypoll was necessitated after Bhajan Lal’s son Kuldeep Bishnoi (Bhavya’s father) switched from the Congress to BJP, resigning from the seat. He was expelled from Congress for “anti-party activities.”

With the Congress fielding Jai Prakash, who is close to former CM Bhupinder Hooda, the seat is likely to witness a fresh episode of the decades-old battle between Bhajan Lal and Hooda families.

AAP, that registered a stellar performance in neighbouring Punjab, will hope to make it a three-way contest with the Congress.

In Dhamnagar, Odisha the bypoll was necessitated by the death of BJP MLA Bishu Charan Sethi in September. The party has give ticket to his son Suryabanshi Suraj Sthitaprajna.

Rival BJD has fielded a female candidate – Abanti Das. The Congress has fielded Harekrushna Sethi in Dhamnagar.

This contest can be a reality check.

The ruling BJD seemed to have lost steam with its below-par performance in the 2019 Odisha assembly elections but in the panchayat polls, earlier this year, it decimated the opposition.

On the other hand, the BJP, which won eight of the 21 Lok Sabha seats in Odisha in 2019, seems to have recalibrated its strategy to regain the ground it has lost over the last three years.