Times News Network
Kanpur: Voting for the Bithoor Nagar Panchayat chairperson bypoll will be held on Tuesday, Oct 13, with three candidates contesting. The seat fell vacant after the death of chairperson Dr Nirmala Singh in June 2026. She had about 13 months of her term left and had been chairperson for five consecutive terms. Congress has fielded Pradeep Dwivedi, who has been associated with the party for about 30 years. He had also contested the Nagar Panchayat chairman election in 2023. He is currently SP Lohia Vahini’s Kanpur Gramin vice-president and councillor from Ward 5, Dhruv Nagar. Bithoor Nagar Panchayat comprises 10 wards with around 10,000 voters. There were 12 contenders in the 2023 election.
The bypoll is seen as important due to Dr Singh’s long political hold. BJP and Congress have fielded candidates on their party symbols, while the Samajwadi Party has not given its symbol to anyone. Her son Rana Samrendra Singh is contesting the bypoll. Her younger son Abhijeet Singh Sanga is the MLA from Bithoor. Adarsh Dwivedi, who is associated with SP, will contest as an independent. His uncle is former Bithoor MLA Munindra Shukla. Of the seven who filed nominations, only three remain.