NEW DELHI: The by-elections to seven assembly constituencies spread across six states, which were held on Thursday, saw voter turnout ranging from 31.74 per cent in Andheri (East) of Maharashtra to 77.55 per cent in Telangana’s Munugode seat.
The counting of votes will be held on November 6. The seven seats include Gopalganj and Mokoma (Bihar), Adampur (Haryana), Andheri East (Maharashtra), Dhamnagar (Odisha), Munugode, (Telangana), and Gola Gorakhnath (Uttar Pradesh), respectively.
The by-election to these seats are a keenly watched one as the BJP is in direct contest with regional parties such as the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), the Samajwadi Party (SP), and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD). The results are expected to set the tone for Assembly elections in some states and the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Among the six states, election to the Munugode Assembly seat in Telangana is expected to be a prestigious battle between the ruling TRS and the BJP, which is looking to spread its wings in the state. Though leaders of TRS and BJP accused each other of luring the voters with money and liquor even on polling day, the polling passed off peacefully.
Of the total 2,41, 855 voters, 1,87,527 voters exercised their franchise up to 5 pm (77.55%). Meanwhile Congress candidate Palvai Sravathi and BJP candidate Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy met Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao to register a complaint about fake news. The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Viksas Raj said that appropriate action would be initiated against those circulating such fake news.
The bypoll for the Munugode Assembly segment was necessitated following the resignation of Congress MLA Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy, who later joined BJP and contested on BJP ticket. Over 52.38 per cent polling was registered in the by-poll in Mokama and Gopalganj assembly constituencies in Bihar. According to chief electoral officer H R Srinivasa, no incidents of violence were reported.
The results are crucial for both parties as a by-election is being held for the first time after the formation of the RJD-led grand alliance government in Bihar. It will be interesting to see whether RJD and BJP retain the seats in the by-election they had won in 2020 assembly polls. The by-election was necessitated following disqualification of RJD MLA from Mokama Anant Singh after his conviction in an Arms Act case and death of sitting BJP legislator from Gopalganj Subash Singh after prolonged illness. The wives of both former lawmakers are contesting the election.
In Uttar Pradesh, the election to Gola Gokarannath assembly constituency saw moderate voting with 55.68 percent voter turnout. According to the state election commission, 441 booths were set up at 222 polling stations for 3.91 lakh registered voters for Thursday voting. The seat fell vacant after the death of BJP’s sitting MLA Arvind Giri. Congress and BSP had not fielded their candidates this time. In Maharashtra, the by-poll to Andheri East constituency saw 31.74 percent turnout of voters.
The bypoll was necessitated following the sudden death of Shiv Sena MLA Ramesh Latke in May. The bypoll is crucial for the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance as it is the first election after the revolt led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and other MLAs. The by-election to Adampur Assembly segment in Haryana saw a voter turnout of over 75 per cent.
DAY OF BALLOTS
31.74% in Andheri (East) to 77.55% in Munugode seat
Approximately final voter turnout for 7 constituencies: 31.74% (Andheri East), 48.35% (Gopalganj, 52.47% (Mokama), 55.68% (Gola Gorakhnath), 66.63% (Dhamnagar), 75.25% (Adampur), and 77.55% (Munugode)
252 polling stations in the constituencies, 110 booths were declared as sensitive. Webcasting was conducted in 126 booths