New Delhi: Bypolls to three Lok Sabha seats and 29 Assembly constituencies across 14 states/UTs began at 7 am on Saturday. The Lok Sabha seats that are undergoing polls are — Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, Khandwa in Madhya, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Pradesh. In Mandi, elections were necessitated as the seat fell vacant after the death of Ramswaroop Sharma (BJP) in March. The by-election to the Khandwa parliamentary constituency was necessitated following the death of BJP member Nand Kumar Singh Chauhan while in Dadra and Nagar Haveli, it was due to the demise of Independent Lok Sabha member Mohan Delkar. The 29 assembly seats where polling is underway are in West Bengal (5), Haryana (4), Bihar (2), Assam, Himachal Pradesh (3), Madhya Pradesh (3), Maharashtra (1), Andhra Pradesh (1), Karnataka (2), Rajasthan (2), Telangana (1), Meghalaya (3), Mizoram (1) and Nagaland (1). The counting of votes will take place on November 2.
Here are the LIVE updates:-
08:50 AM: Voting underway for by-poll to Fatehpur Assembly constituency in Kangra district
Himachal Pradesh | Voting underway for by-poll to Fatehpur Assembly constituency in Kangra district pic.twitter.com/e3A1Jr1YgA
— ANI (@ANI) October 30, 2021
08:43 AM: In Assam, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress are the main contenders for the five assembly seats—Mariani, Thowra, Bhabanipur, Gossaigaon, and Tamulpur. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, former Chief Minister and Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Congress national General Secretary Jitendra Singh, state Congress President Bhupen Kumar Borah and leader of Opposition in the Assembly Debabrata Saikia, who undertook a hectic campaign for their respective candidates, were strongly hopeful of securing a win in the by-polls.
08:40 AM: The ruling National People’s Party (NPP) and the Mizo National Front (MNF), both part of the National Democratic Alliance, would take on the Congress in three seats in Meghalaya and the lone seat in Mizoram, respectively.
08:38 AM: Voting for bypolls is underway at 306 polling stations across Huzurabad assembly constituency.
08:16 AM: To ensure smooth conduct of polls, the EC has deployed 27 companies of central armed forces in Dinhata, 22 in Santipur, 20 in Khardah and 23 in Gosaba, an official said.
08:15 AM: The by-election at Dinhata was necessitated by the resignation of Nisith Pramanik, now Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, who favoured keeping his Lok Sabha membership over sitting in the opposition in West Bengal’s assembly.
08:00 AM: In West Bengal, voting kicked off at 7 AM for by-polls to the four assembly constituencies of Dinhata in Cooch Behar, Shantipur in Nadia, Khardah in North 24 Parganas and Gosaba in South 24 Parganas districts.
Voting for bypolls is underway at 27 polling stations in Tuirial Assembly constituency of Mizoram
(Photo source: Election Commission of India) pic.twitter.com/5S5ahR4GQZ
— ANI (@ANI) October 30, 2021
07:45 AM: Voters queue at a polling station in Mawryngkneng Assembly constituency for Meghalaya bypolls.
07:30 AM: CAPF personnel deployed at a polling station under Gosaba (SC) Assembly Constituency of South 24 Parganas in West Bengal.
07:15 AM: Voters can be seen standing in a queue outside a polling station in Khardaha, North 24 Parganas. Other places where by-polls are being held include Santipur, Dinhata, and Gosaba.
Bihar | Voting for bypoll to Kusheshwar Asthan assembly seat in Darbhanga underway
By-elections are being held in three parliamentary constituencies and 30 assembly constituencies in different states today pic.twitter.com/lROdE2Y1wA
— ANI (@ANI) October 30, 2021
07:00 AM: People queue up outside polling booths in North Parganas and Dinhata Cooch Behar where Assembly polls have been scheduled for today. Other places where by-polls will be held today include Santipur in Nadia district and Gosaba in South 24 Parganas.
