Voting concluded on Tuesday across six constituencies in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam and Puducherry, with by-elections being held for five Assembly seats and one Lok Sabha seat.
Assam's Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency recorded 76 per cent turnout by 5 pm, while Nandigram and Rejinagar in West Bengal and Thattanchavady in Puducherry also saw polling conclude. The counting of votes in Nagaon is scheduled for October 9.
Here are the key developments from the bypolls.
Nagaon Lok Sabha bypoll records 76% turnout
Voting for the Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election in Assam concluded peacefully at 5 pm, with 76 per cent of 19.05 lakh electors having voted, an official said. The final turnout was expected to rise as those already in queues were allowed to cast their votes.
The by-election was necessitated after Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi resigned and successfully contested the Assembly elections from Dispur on a BJP ticket earlier this year.
Minor electronic voting machine (EVM) glitches were reported at a few booths, but the machines were replaced and polling continued. No untoward incidents were reported across the constituency's eight Assembly segments, the official said.
Samaguri recorded the highest turnout at 80.22 per cent, while Raha had the lowest at 70.27 per cent by 5 pm. Turnout in the other segments was 72.84 per cent in Morigaon, 72.01 per cent in Nagaon-Batadraba, 77.67 per cent in Rupahihat, 77.93 per cent in Dhing, 76.61 per cent in Jagiroad and 78.88 per cent in Laharighat.
Fifteen candidates were in the fray, with the main contest expected to be between BJP candidate Devashis Sharma, Congress candidate Sibamoni Bora and AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal.
The BJP is seeking to expand its support in the Muslim-majority constituency, while the Congress is attempting to retain the seat. The AIUDF is seeking to maintain its influence after its strength in the Assam Assembly fell from 16 MLAs to two in the April elections.
Of the 2,312 polling stations, including five auxiliary booths, 624 were identified as sensitive. The electorate included 9.43 lakh women and 50 third-gender voters.
Counting is scheduled for October 9.
Polling concludes in Nandigram and Rejinagar
Voting in the Nandigram and Rejinagar Assembly by-elections in West Bengal ended at 6 pm on Tuesday, a senior Election Commission official said. Those still in queues were allowed to vote.
According to the poll panel, Nandigram recorded 79.39 per cent turnout and Rejinagar 78.42 per cent by 5 pm. Voting was largely peaceful, though a few untoward incidents were reported.
The polling was marked by allegations of police bias and voter intimidation from Congress candidate Milan Pradhan in Nandigram, while AJUP chief Humayun Kabir was detained after an argument with police in Rejinagar.
Thattanchavady bypoll ends with 78.83% turnout
Polling in Puducherry's Thattanchavady Assembly constituency ended at 6 pm on Tuesday, officials said.
The constituency recorded 78.83 per cent turnout by 5 pm, with the final figure expected to rise as it was being collated.
The bypoll is seen as a test of popularity for the four-month-old National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government led by Chief Minister N Rangasamy. His resignation from Thattanchavady, while retaining the Mangalam seat, necessitated the by-election.
High drama in Dharapuram by-election
High drama unfolded during polling for the Dharapuram by-election when an intoxicated man attempting to cast his vote was stopped and escorted away by security personnel at a local polling booth.
On Tuesday morning, as voters queued up to exercise their franchise at Thalavaipatti polling station, police officers on duty noticed a man arriving at the polling station in a heavily inebriated state.
According to eyewitnesses and video footage captured at the scene, the individual struggled to walk steadily and created a momentary disturbance near the voting area.
Sensing a potential disruption to the election process and safety concerns inside the booth, police personnel acted swiftly.
They intercepted the man, preventing him from entering the voting compartment, and safely escorted him out of the premises and urged him to exercise his franchise later in the afternoon after taking rest.
Election officials reiterated that while every eligible citizen is encouraged to participate in the democratic process, maintaining order, decorum, and security at polling stations remains a top priority during elections.
No charges were immediately pressed, and polling resumed smoothly following the brief interruption.
Cong nominee Milan Pradhan alleges ‘vote loot’
Congress’s Nandigram candidate Milan Pradhan alleged on Tuesday that the by-elections in the seat have been marked by “vote-loot, voters’ intimidation and biased action of the police and security forces”.
The candidate, currently out on interim bail granted by the Calcutta High Court after he was arrested in connection with criminal cases arising from the 2007 anti-land acquisition agitation in Nandigram, further alleged that the police tried to restrict his movement in the constituency during the polls.
Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) chief Humayun Kabir was detained on Tuesday after a heated argument with police personnel at his party office in West Bengal's Rejinagar, where voting was underway for the assembly bypoll.
Voting is underway for the high-stakes bypolls to five assembly constituencies and one Lok Sabha seat spread across West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Assam along with the Union Territory (UT)of Puducherry.
Kabir, who had been attacking the police since morning over the deployment of security personnel near his residence and at polling booths, was detained shortly after he cast his vote with his family.
The police reached the AUJP office in Rejinagar, following Kabir's repeated remarks against the force.
A heated argument broke out between the AJUP chief and police personnel, with the political leader accusing them of "dalali" (partisanship).
The situation escalated into a scuffle, following which police personnel pulled Kabir by his shirt and took him to a vehicle.
“Polling has been peaceful”
Over 56.35 per cent of 19.05 lakh voters exercised their franchise in the by-election to the Nagaon Lok Sabha seat in Assam till 1 pm on Tuesday, and no untoward incident has been reported so far, an official said
The counting of votes will take place on October 9, according to the poll panel.
The by-election was necessitated as Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi resigned and successfully contested the assembly elections from Dispur on a BJP ticket earlier this year.
"Polling has been peaceful so far, as no untoward incident has been reported from any polling station in the eight assembly segments under the Lok Sabha constituency. The voting percentage was 56.35 per cent till 1 pm," the official said.
The highest turnout of 61.48 per cent was registered in Laharighat assembly constituency and the lowest of 47.07 per cent in Nagaon-Batadraba till 1 pm.
AJUP chief Humayun Kabir detained
Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) chief Humayun Kabir was detained on Tuesday after a heated argument with police personnel at his party office in West Bengal's Rejinagar, where voting was underway for the assembly bypoll.
Voting is underway for the high-stakes bypolls to five assembly constituencies and one Lok Sabha seat spread across West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Assam along with the Union Territory (UT)of Puducherry.
Kabir, who had been attacking the police since morning over the deployment of security personnel near his residence and at polling booths, was detained shortly after he cast his vote with his family.
The police reached the AUJP office in Rejinagar, following Kabir's repeated remarks against the force.
A heated argument broke out between the AJUP chief and police personnel, with the political leader accusing them of "dalali" (partisanship).
The situation escalated into a scuffle, following which police personnel pulled Kabir by his shirt and took him to a vehicle.
(With inputs from agencies)
