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Sensing an edge over the BJP, the Congress has mobilised resources in the states for these bypolls. Three Lok Sabha seats also go to the polls on the same day -- Vadodara in Gujarat, Mainpuri in Uttar Pradesh and Medak in Andhra Pradesh.
"The fact that we managed to win one seat out of 10 in the fray for the recent Bihar bypolls and when we are organisationally at our weakest in the state has been a great boost for the party and party workers all over. We are leaving no stone unturned to boost our chances for these bypolls," said a Congress leader.
The party has pushed senior campaigners into service -- Ghulam Nabi Azad, Digvijay Singh, Sachin Pilot, Bhupinder Singh Hooda -- to campaign for the 11 seats in Uttar Pradesh. In Assam, where the Tarun Gogoi-led Congress government faced a political crisis due to dissension from within a few weeks earlier, C P joshi, the party general secretary in charge is personally liaising with block in-charges, setting targets and deadlines to ensure the three at stake don?t be a spoiler for the party in the run-up to the state polls next year.
However, despite the Congress trying to get its act together, after its Lok Sabha debacle three months earlier, factionalism in some state units is hitting its prospects. In Chhattisgarh, where the single seat of Antagarh is in contention, the Congress is left with no candidate. Its nomination was rejected and the 10 independents it was banking upon have withdrawn. While state chief Bhupesh Baghel blames the ruling BJP for threatening its candidates, party sources say their rival factions have also been at work to spoil the chances.
In BJP-ruled Rajasthan, the Congress is hoping to win two of the four seats in the fray. State party chief Sachin Pilot has lots at stake, having to prove his credentials after losing in the Lok Sabha polls.
Good news from these bypolls on the coming Tuesday, when the counting of votes is scheduled, would galvanise the beleaguered party in the run-up to the multiple assembly polls at the end of the year.
33 Assembly seats which go to poll on September 13
Andhra Pradesh
Nandigama (SC )
Assam
Silchar
Lakhimpur
Jamunamukh
Chattisgarh
Antagarh (ST)
Gujarat
Deesa
Maninagar
Tankara
Khambalia
Mangrol
Talaja
Anand
Matar
Limkheda ST
Rajasthan
Surjagarh
Weir SC
Nasirabad
Kota South
Sikkim
Rangang Yangang
Tripura
Manu ST
Uttar Pradesh
Saharanpur Nagar
Bijnor
Thakurdwara
Noida
Nighasan
Lucknow East
Hamirpur
Charkhari
Sirathu
Balha
Rohaniya
West Bengal
Basirhat Dakshin
Chowringhee
3 Lok Sabha seats which go to polls on September 13
Gujarat
Vadodara
Uttar Pradesh
Mainpuri
Andhra Pradesh
Medak
