New Delhi, April 9 Voting in the by-elections, which were largely peaceful, took place in four assembly constituencies in Karnataka, Tripura, and Nagaland on Thursday, with voter turnout ranging from 68 to over 82.
The by-elections were held for the Bagalkot and Davanagere South constituencies in Karnataka, the Dharmanagar assembly constituency in North Tripura, and the Koridang constituency in the Mokokchung district of Nagaland.
On Wednesday, the Bombay High Court declared the Election Commission of India's notification for the Ponda Assembly by-election in Goa as "null and void." By-elections in three constituencies in Gujarat and Maharashtra will be held on April 23.
According to the "Approximate Polling Trends" recorded by the Election Commission until 8.30 am, voting took place at a rate of 82.21% in the Koridang constituency in Nagaland, 80.04% in the Dharmanagar constituency in Tripura, 68.73% in the Bagalkot constituency, and 68.55% in the Davanagere South constituency in Karnataka.
In Karnataka, while the ruling Congress faces the challenge of retaining both seats, the BJP aims to win them and create a setback for its rival, which is currently experiencing an "internal power struggle" over leadership.
The by-elections were necessitated due to the deaths of senior Congress MLAs H Y Meti (Bagalkot) and Shamanur Shivashankarappa (Davanagere South).
A total of over 2.59 lakh eligible voters were expected to cast their votes at approximately 319 polling stations in Bagalkot, where nine candidates were contesting.
In Davanagere South, over 2.31 lakh eligible voters were expected to vote across 284 polling stations, with 25 candidates contesting.
The BJP fielded former MLA and 2023 election candidate Veerabhadrayya Charantimath from Bagalkot, and a fresh face, Srinivas T Dasakariyappa, from Davanagere South.
The Congress nominated family members of the late legislators in both constituencies. Umesh Meti, the candidate from Bagalkot, is the son of H Y Meti, while Samarth Mallikarjun from Davanagere South is the grandson of Shamanur Shivashankarappa.
Voting was peaceful until 5 pm, when polling ended, in the Dharmanagar Assembly constituency in North Tripura, according to officials.
Despite inclement weather, voters came out in large numbers at all the polling booths and exercised their democratic rights without any disturbance, the officials said.
"Polling for the by-election in all 55 booths began at 7 am amidst tight security. Voters were seen standing in queues in various polling centres to exercise their democratic right," said Returning Officer Debjani Choudhury.
She said that webcasting was ensured in all the booths along with EVMs with VVPATs to maintain complete transparency during the voting process.
A total of 46,142 voters will decide the fate of six candidates in the by-election.
The by-election was necessitated due to the death of Assembly Speaker and local MLA Biswa Bandhu Sen of the BJP last December.
In the Koridang Assembly seat in the Mokokchung district of Nagaland, the polling process remained largely peaceful until voting ended at 5 pm, according to officials.
Of the 30 polling stations, several registered exceptionally high turnout, exceeding 95%. These include Mangmetong II, Mangmetong V, Mangmetong IV, Mangmetong III, Mangmetong I, Longkhum V, and Sattsu.
In contrast, a few polling stations recorded very low turnout, with voter turnout barely exceeding 20%. These include Alichen II and Alichen IV.
Officials said that adequate security deployment of both Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and state forces ensured the smooth conduct of polling.
Six candidates are contesting in the Koridang by-election.
The ruling People's Democratic Alliance (PDA) fielded BJP nominee Daochier I Imchen, while the Congress nominated T Chalukumba Ao. The NPP candidate is I Abenjang, and there are three Independent candidates.
The by-election was necessitated following the death of BJP legislator Imkong L Imchen, a five-time MLA, on November 11 at the age of 75. The saffron party fielded his son.
The Bombay High Court on Wednesday declared the Election Commission of India's notification for the Ponda Assembly by-election in Goa as "null and void," cancelling Thursday's poll. The Congress has said it will challenge this decision in the Apex court.
Justices Valmiki Menezes and Amit Jamsandekar of the Goa bench of the High Court passed the order on petitions filed by two voters who had challenged the validity of the notification on the grounds that less than one year of the current assembly's term is left.
The by-election was necessitated due to the death of former Goa minister Ravi Naik in October last year.
By-elections in Umreth in Gujarat, and Rahuri and Baramati in Maharashtra will be held on April 23.
Counting of votes for the by-elections in the seven assembly constituencies will be held on May 4.