The BJP and its allies on October 24 won 26 of the 51 Assembly seats at stake in the bypolls across 18 States and the Congress emerged victorious in 12 constituencies while Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM tasted its maiden electoral success in Bihar.
In bye-elections to two Lok Sabha seats, Prince Raj of the Lok Jan Shakti Party won in Samastipur (SC) in Bihar defeating Ashok Kumar of the Congress, while Shriniwas Dadasaheb Patil of the NCP emerged victorious in Maharashtra's Satara constituency over Udyanraje Pratapsinhmaharaj Bhonsle of the BJP.
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The BJP and its allies held nearly 30 of these Assembly seats, while the Congress had won 12 and the rest were with regional parties.
Here are the updates:
NDA gets 8, SP 3; BSP, Congress draw blank
The Samajwadi Party turned out to be a major gainer in U.P. Assembly bypolls, wresting a seat each from the ruling BJP and the BSP, while the NDA got eight, one less than it held.
The SP wrested Zaidpur seat from the ruling BJP and Jalalpur seat from the BSP, while retaining Rampur.
The BJP bagged seven seats and its ally Apna Dal (S) one. The saffron party retained Balha, Gangoh, Manikpur, Ghosi, Iglas, Lucknow Cantt and Govindnagar, while Apna Dal (S) retained Pratapgarh.
The Samajwadi Party turned out to be a major gainer in Uttar Pradesh, wresting a seat each from the ruling BJP and the BSP, while the NDA got eight, one less than it held.
The SP wrested Zaidpur seat from the BJP and Jalalpur seat from the BSP, while retaining Rampur. The BJP won seven seats and its ally Apna Dal (S) bagged one.
The BJP, which yielded Zaidpur to the SP, retained Balha, Gangoh, Manikpur, Ghosi, Iglas, Lucknow Cantt and Govindnagar, while Apna Dal (S) retained Pratapgarh.
CM Prem Singh Tamang wins; BJP victorious in two seats
Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Tamang of the ruling-Sikkim Krantikari Morcha won the Poklok-Kamrang constituency overcoming Moses Rai of the Sikkim Democratic Front by a margin of 8,953 votes.
Sonam Tsh Venchungpa and Yong Shering Lepcha of the BJP won the Martam-Rumtek(BL) and Gangtok(BL) constituencies by a margin of 6,150, and 1,010 votes respectively.
Congress wins three seats, SAD wrests Dakha from AAP
The ruling Congress consolidated its position in Punjab winning three Assembly segments while opposition Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) won one seat, where bypolls were held.
Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal of the ruling Congress party wrested the Phagwara seat from the BJP, defeating Rajesh Bagha by a margin 26,116 votes.
Congress candidate Indu Bala prevailed over Jangi Lal Mahajan of the BJP by a margin of 3,440 votes to win the Mukerian constituency seat.
Manpreet Singh Ayali of Shiromani Akali Dal won the Dakha constituency, defeating Sandeep Singh Sandhu of Congress by a margin of 14,672.
Raminder Singh Awla of Congress beat Raj Singh of Shiromani Akali Dal by a margin of 16,633 votes to win the Jalalabad constituency.
TRS wins Huzurnagar Assembly seat
The ruling TRS in Telangana won the bypoll to Huzurnagar Assembly constituency by a margin of more than 43,000 votes over its nearest Congress rival N. Padmavati Reddy.
Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao-led party maintained a consistent lead over the Opposition Congress during the counting of votes from the first round.
TRS nominee S. Saidi Reddy polled 1,13,095 while 69,737 votes were polled in favour of the Congress candidate, according to figures put out by the Chief electoral Officer.
In Kerala, CPI(M) wrestestwo UDF strongholds Vattiyoorkavu and Konni
The ruling CPI(M)-led LDF registered impressive wins at Vattiyoorkavu and Konni, the two strongholds of the Congress-headed UDF, while the Opposition front retained the Ernakulam seat.
Thiruvananthapuram Mayor Prasanth , who contested at Vattiyoorkavu constituency won with a margin of 14,465 votes against his nearest rival, Congress party's K. Mohankumar, while K.U. Jinesh Kuma r won from Konni by a margin of 9,953 votes.
The UDF candidate T.J. Vinod won the Ernakulam seat by a margin of 3,750 votes defeating Manu Roy (LDF-IND).
The United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate M.C. Kamrauddin swept the by-elections in Manjeswaram constituency by winning the seat with a margin of 7,923 votes against his rival BJP candidate Raveesh Thanthri Kuntar.
Shanimol Osman of the Congress defeats CPI(M) candidate Manu C. Pulicka by a margin of 2,079 votes in the Aroor bypoll.
In Kerala, the Congress-led UDF tasted defeat at the hands of the ruling LDF headed by the CPI-M in its strongholds of Vattiyoorkavu and Konni, while it retained two seats and won from the Marxist bastion of Aroor.
Thiruvananthapuram Mayor V.K. Prasanth won from Vattiyoorkavu by a margin of over 14,465 votes against his nearest Congress rival K. Mohankumar.
Another UDF bastion, Konni, went to the LDF kitty with its candidate K U Jenish Kumar winning by 9,953 votes defeating P. Mohanraj (Congress).
However, the LDF tasted defeat at Aroor, a CPI(M) stronghold where UDF's Shanimol Usman, who had unsuccessfully contested the April Lok Sabha poll from Alappuzha, won with a margin of 2079 votes.
Mr. Usman defeated her nearest rival Manu C. Pulickal of the LDF by a margin of 2,079 votes.
The UDF won the Manjeshwaram seat where M.C. Kamaruddin (IUML) won by a margin of 7,923 votes against BJP's Raveesh Thanthri Kuntar.
It retained the Ernakulam seat as its candidate T.J. Vinod, Deputy Mayor of Kochi corporation, defeated his nearest rival advocate Manu Roy, the LDF-Independent candidate by over 3,750 votes.
The defeat at Vatiyoorkavu and Konni comes as a rude shock for the UDF which had won 19 of the 20 Lok Sabha seats in the Lok Sabha polls in May.
Following the bypoll outcome, the LDF's strength has now gone up to 93, while that of UDF 45 in the 140-member house.
BJP wins both Dharamshala, Pachhad seats in Himachal Pradesh
In Himachal Pradesh, the ruling BJP retained both the Dharamshala and Pachhad seats.
Vishal Nehria of the BJP defeats Independent candidate Rakesh Kumar by a margin of 6,758 votes in the Dharamshala bypoll.
BJP candidate Reena Kashyap defeats Congress candidate Gangu Ram Musafir by a margin of 2,808 votes in the Pachhad bypoll.
BJP, Congress win three seats each in Gujarat
Rajput Gulabsinh Pirabhai of the Congress defeats BJP candidate Patel Jivrajbhai Jagtabhai by a margin of 6,372 votes in the Tharad bypoll.
In Radhanpur, OBC leader and BJP candidate Alpesh Thakor lost to Congress’ Raghu Desai by over 6,700 votes.
Ajmalji Valaji Thakor of the BJP defeats Congress candidate Thakor Babuji Ujamji by a margin of 29,091 votes in the Kheralu bypoll.
Congress candidate Patel Jashubhai Shivabhai defeats BJP candidate Dhavalsinh Narendrasinh Zala by a margin of 743 votes in the Bavad bypoll.
Jigneshkumar Sevak of the BJP defeats Congress candidate Gulabsinh Chauhan by a margin of 11,952 votes in the Lunawada bypoll.
Jagdish Ishwarbhai Pate of the BJP is leading over his nearest candidate Patel Dharmendra Shantilal (Dhambhai) of the Congress by a margin of 5,528 votes in the Amraiwadi bypoll.`
In Assam, BJP wins three seats, AIUDF secures one
BJP's Bijoy Malakar wins Ratabari seat in Assam, defeating Keshab Prasad Rajak of Congress by margin of 24,001 votes.
Rafiqul Islam of the All India United Democratic Front defeats Congress candidate Shamsul Hoque by a margin of 35,141 votes in the Jania bypoll.
Rajen Borthakur of the BJP defeats Congress candidate Kartik Kurmi by a margin of 49,599 votes in the Rangapara bypoll.
BJP candidate Nabanita Handique defeats Congress candidate Sushil Kumar Suri by a margin of 15,430 votes in the Sonari bypoll.
BJP-Nitish Kumar alliance loses in three seats in Bihar
Qamrul Hoda of the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen defeats BJP candidate Sweety Singh by a margin of 10,204 votes in the Kishanganj bypoll.
Zafar Alam of the Rashtriya Janata Dal defeats JD(U) candidate Arun Kumar by a margin of 15,505 votes in the Simri Bakhtiarpur bypoll.
Independent candidate Karnjeet Singh Alias Vyas Singh defeats JD(U)’s Ajay Kumar Singh by a margin of 27,279 votes in the Daraundha bypoll.
Lakshmikant Mandal of the JD(U) defeats Rashtriya Janata Dal candidate Rabiya Khatun by a margin of 15,505 votes in the Nathnagar bypoll.
Ramdeo Yadav of the RJD defeats JD(U) candidate Laldhari Yadav by a margin of 19,231 votes in the Belhar bypoll.
The ruling JD(U) suffered a setback in Bihar managing to win only one of the four seats it contested. Bypolls were held in five seats of which RJD won two and AIMIM one. The remaining seat was won by an Independent.
The results gave the once mighty RJD a reason to smile, while Hyderabad MP Owaisi's AIMIM gained a toehold in the State clinching Kishanganj, a Muslim dominated constituency. BJP rebel candidate Karnjeet Singh won the Dharaunda seat as an Independent.
The JD(U) could win only Nathnagar where its candidate Laxmi Kant Mandal beat Rabia Khatun of the RJD by little over 5,000 votes.
Congress wins Mandawa seat, RLP retains Khinwsar
The ruling Congress in Rajasthan increased its tally in the State legislature by one after winning the Assembly bypolls to Mandawa while MP Hanuman Beniwal’s Rashtriya Loktantrik Party retained the Khinwsar seat.
Congress candidate Rita Chaudhary won the Mandawa seat with a margin of 33,704 votes while RLP candidate Narayan Beniwal won Khinwsar by just 4,630 votes.
Chaudhary defeated BJP’s Sushila Sigra in Mandawa.
“I received a huge support from women and the youth this time and I was sure of my victory,” Rita Chaudhary said in Jhunjhunu.
For Khinwsar, AICC general secretary Avinash Pande said the Congress Party had faced a defeat on the seat in the Assembly elections last year with a huge margin, which had reduced in the bypolls, indicating the strengthening of people’s faith in the party.
State Congress president and Deputy CM Sachin Pilot said the results reflected the hard work of the party workers and the decline in the winning margin in Khinwsar showed that people’s trust in the Congress and its policies was increasing.
In Khinwsar, RLP’s Narayan Beniwal won by just 4,630 votes.
He defeated Congress candidate and former Minister Harendra Mirdha.
BJP wins Ratabari seat, leads in 2 Assembly seats
The ruling BJP has won the Ratabari Assembly constituency and is leading in two other seats in Assam, while the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) is leading in one seat, Election Commission officials said.
Rajen Borthakur of the BJP is leading over his nearest rival Kartik Kurmi of the Congress by 49,599 votes in Rangapara constituency.
Nabanita Handique of the BJP is leading over her nearest rival Sushil Kumar Suri of the Congress by 11,269 votes in Sonari seat.
Rafiqul Islam of the AIUDF has gained a lead of 26,972 votes over his nearest rival Shamsul Hoque of the Congress in Jania constituency.
AIADMK wrests Vikravadni, Nanguneri seats from DMK
V. Narayanan of the AIADMK defeats Congress candidate Ruby R. Manoharan by a whopping margin of 33,445 votes in the Nanguneri bypoll.
The byelection in Nanguneri was necessitated by Mr. Vasanthakumar’s election to the Lok Sabha from the Kanniyakumari constituency.
In a morale booster after the Lok Sabha poll drubbing months ago, the ruling AIADMK in Tamil Nadu wrested two seats from arch-rival DMK and its ally Congress. The AIADMK won by impressive margins in Vikravandi and Nanguneri constituencies.
Punjab CM Amarinder Singh hails Congress victory in bypolls
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh hailed the Congress victory in the Assembly bypolls and termed the SAD defeat in Jalalabad as the rejection of their "negative agenda".
"The Akalis clearly failed to learn a lesson from their previous electoral defeats and continued to engage in negative campaigning, including the politicisation of religion," Mr. Amarinder Singh said, adding that their defeat in Sukhbir Badal's "self-proclaimed stronghold" of Jalalabad was a "total rejection of their negative agenda".
People had made it clear that there was no place for the parties who did not work for their welfare, he said in a statement in Batala after the Congress emerged victorious in Phagwara, Mukerian and Jalalabad Assembly segments.
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) bagged the Dakha seat.
Stressing that the results once again exposed the "hollowness" of the Akali claims, the CM said, "The referendum, as the Akalis had been keen on dubbing these by-elections, was clearly not in their favour, and the people of Punjab had once again denounced SAD's unconstructive policies."
He said though he did not look at the polls as a referendum on his regime, which had already fulfilled the bulk of its promises, people of Punjab had shown what they wanted from their government.
If the Akalis looked at it as a referendum, then they have got their answer from people, he added.
While describing the party's defeat in Dakha "unfortunate", the Chief Minister lauded candidate Sandeep Sandhu for giving a tough fight in his first election.
"I had wanted and aimed at winning all four seats in these bypolls but one can't win 100%," he said.
The losing candidates should not take such failures to heart, he said, recalling that he had also lost his first two elections.
He expressed confidence that like Jalalabad, Dakha too would eventually realise that the Congress alone could ensure its development and progress.
After suffering for 10 years, the people of Punjab wanted to look forward towards an era of growth and had categorically rejected the "divisive and regressive" policies of the Opposition, said Mr. Amarinder Singh. — PTI
Congress candidate Kantilal Bhuria defeats BJP nominee BhanuBhuria in Jhabua Assembly bypoll by over 27,800 votes.
The Jhabua bye-election was necessitated as the sitting BJP MLA, Guman Singh Damor, got elected to the Lok Sabha from Ratlam.
In Madhya Pradesh, the Congress wrested back its traditional Jhabua Assembly seat from the BJP. Congress candidate and former Union Minister Kantilal Bhuria won by a margin of over 27,804 votes, defeating BJP's Bhanu Bhuria.
The Congress lost the seat to BJP in last year's Assembly polls with G.S. Damor defeating Kantilal Bhuria's son Vikrant Bhuria by 10,437 votes. However, the BJP fielded Mr. Damor in the general elections from the Ratlam-Jhabua seat, which he won by defeating Mr. Kantilal Bhuria.
The Congress now has 115 members, one short of simple majority in the 230-member house. It enjoys the support of 4 Independents, two BSP MLAs and one SP MLA.
UDF retains Manjeswaram constituency
The United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate M.C. Kamrauddin swept the by-elections in Manjeswaram constituency by winning the seat with a huge margin.
He defeated his nearest rival, Ravish Tanthri Kuntar of the Bharatiya Janatha Party (BJP), by a winning margin of 7.923 votes.
Against the popular perception that the election would be a close battle between the UDF, the BJP and the Left Democratic Front (LDF), it turned out that BJP candidate Mr. Kuntar and LDF candidate Shankar Rai were no match to Mr. Kamruddin, who retained the lead since the commencement of the count.
The BJP, which lost the last elections by 89 votes in 2016, prepared for the election to give a close fight to the UDF and LDF. Also hopes were high in the LDF camp that Mr. Rai, who had entered the election fray for the first time, could garner votes, especially those of the linguistic minority communities in the constituency, for the LDF. The UDF candidate, however, gained votes in the pockets considered to be pocket boroughs of the LDF and the BJP.
The victory defied speculation about setbacks Mr. Kamaruddin might face in the by-election from his own camp as there had been initial differences within the Indian Union Muslim League over his candidature.
The counting started at 8 a.m. at the Government High School, Paivalike Nagar. While Mr. Kamaruddin polled 65,407 votes, Mr. Kuntar secured 57,484 votes. Mr. Rai polled 38,233 votes. As many as 574 people chose None of the Above (NOTA). Only one invalid vote was polled in the election.
Interestingly, the UDF, which had managed to get only 56,870 votes in 2016 election, were able to increase its vote share with huge margin of 8,537 votes this time. While for the BJP there was only a marginal increase of 703 votes compared to the figure of 56,781 votes, which it secured in 2016 Assembly election.
However, it was a disappointing run for the LDF in the elections. They not just remained in the third position but also lost the vote share compared to 2016. The front got just 38,233 votes, which is a loss of 4,332 votes, when compared to the total of 42,565 votes they got in 2016. - Staff Reporter, Kasargod
Balajied Kupar Synrem of the United Democratic Party (UDP) has won the Shella seat that was vacated when Assembly Speaker Donkupar Roy, also a former Chief Minister, died.
Mr. Synrem defeated his nearest rival Grace Mary Kharpuri, an independent candidate, by a margin of 6,221 votes.
Congress, BJP get one seat each in Rajasthan
Congress candidate Rita Chaudhary declared elected from Rajasthan's Mandawa constituency with a victory margin of 33,704 votes. She has defeated BJP's Sushila Sigra.
Narayan Beniwal, fielded by BJP-Rashtriya Loktantrik Party alliance, declared elected from Rajasthan's Khinvsar seat with a victory margin of 4,630 votes. He has defeated Harendra Mirdha of Congress.
BJP's Bijoy Malakar wins Ratabari seat in Assam, defeating Keshab Prasad Rajak of Congress by margin of 24,001 votes.
BJP is also leading in Rangapara and Sonari seats while the All India United Democratic Front is leading in Jania.
JP retains Bihar's Samastipur Lok Sabha seat
NDA candidate, Prince Raj of Lok Janshakti Party, has defeated Congress candidate Ashok Kumar in Samastipur (Reserved) Lok Sabha seat bypoll.
Mr. Raj, is the nephew of LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan. Ramchandra Paswan, the brother of Mr. Ram Vilas Paswan, had won the Samastipur seat in 2019 elections. His sudden death led to bypolls and the party fielded Ramchandra Paswan's son Mr. Raj.
Alpesh Thakor, Zala lose
Congress candidate Jashu Patel defeated BJP’s Dhavalsinh Zala in Bayad seat of Arvalli district by a margin of over 700 votes.
In Radhanpur, OBC leader and BJP candidate Alpesh Thakor lost to Congress’ Raghu Desai by over 6,700 votes.
In Tharad seat of Banaskantha, Congress candidate Gulabsinh Rajput made a comeback after trailing in the initial hours and defeated BJP’s Jivraj Patel by over 6,400 votes.
In Kheralu seat of Mehsana, BJP’s Ajmalji Thakor defeated Congress’ Babuji Thakor by 29,000 votes.
In Lunawada, BJP candidate Jignesh Sevak was leading over Congress’ Gulabsinh Chauhan by over 12,000 votes.
In Amraiwadi, Congress’ Dharmendra Patel was leading over BJP’s Jagdish Patel by over 117 votes.
BJP leads in 7 seats in Uttar Pradesh
BJP jumps ahead of the Congress in Gangoh (Saharanpur) to register a lead in seven out of 11 seats in Uttar Pradesh.
Its ally Apna Dal is leading in Pratapgarh, while the BSP is ahead in Jalalpur and the SP is on the top spot in Rampur and Zaidpur.
The latter seat (in Barabanki) was held by the BJP in 2017 and at this stage looks like the only one that could exchange hands.
Jalalpur was won by the BSP and Rampur by the SP's Azam Khan in 2017.
BJP-SKM alliance sweeps Sikkim bypolls
The alliance of Bharatiya Janata Party and Sikkim Krantikari Morcha swept the by-polls held in Sikkim on October 21 winning all the three assembly seats that went to polls.
Sikkim Chief Minister and SKM candidate P S Golay won the Poklok Kamrang seat securing about 84 % votes. Mr Golay secured 10585 votes whereas his nearest rival Moses Rai of Sikkim Democratic Front ( SDF) secured 1858 votes.
The victory has firmly cemented Mr Golay's position to the post of Chief Minister of Sikkim, who could not contest the Assembly polls earlier this year because of a conviction in a corruption case. The term of his disqualification to contest polls was subsequently reduced by the Election Commission of India.
At Martam Rumtek assembly seat in East Sikkim BJP candidate ST Venchungpa won by securing 8010 votes while N K Bhutia of the SDF secured 2033 votes. BJP candidate Y T Lepcha won the Gangtok Assembly seat securing 2492 votes.
Former Indian football captain and working president of Hamro Sikkim party Bhaichung Bhutia, who was also contesting from Gangtok finished fourth securing 578 votes.
BJD's Rita Sahu marks massive victory over BJP in Odisha’s Bijepur
BJD candidate Rita Sahu won by a margin of 97,990 votes against her nearest rival Sanat Gartia of the BJP in the bypoll to Odisha’s Bijepur Assembly constituency.
Rita Sahu. File Photo.
Sahu has secured 1,35,957 votes while Gartia has garnered 37,967 votes.
Congress candidate Dilip Kumar Panda is trailing at the third position with 5,873 votes, according to the ECI website.
The by-election to the politically-sensitive seat in Bargarh district was necessitated after Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who had won from two seats in the Assembly polls held in April, resigned from Bijepur and retained his home-turf Hinjili in Ganjam district.
Slain NPP leader’s wife Chakat Aboh wins in Arunachal bypoll
Independent candidate Chakat Aboh won over another independent nominee Azet Homtok by 1,887 votes.
While Aboh has secured 5,705 votes, Homtok has garnered 3,818 votes.
Some 68 none of the above (NOTA) votes were polled.
Counting of votes for the by-poll to Khonsa West Assembly constituency in Arunachal Pradesh is on amidst tight security at Khonsa, the headquarters of Tirap district, Joint Chief Electoral Officer D.J. Bhattacharjee said.
An estimated 89% of the over 10,000 voters had exercised their franchise in the by-election to the seat held on October 21.
Chakat Aboh, the wife of National People’s Party (NPP) leader Tirong Aboh who was shot dead in May, was unanimously fielded by five major political parties in the State, including the ruling BJP. - PTI
People of Tamil Nadu have reposed faith in AIADMK, says OPS
The byelection results of the Vikravandi and Nanguneri Assembly constituencies have revealed that the people of Tamil Nadu have reposed their faith in the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), party coordinator and Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam said.
“The people have shown that they are with only us. The victory is because of the AIADMK government’s achievements,” he told reporters here on Thursday.
When asked as to what change had taken place in the State politics after the Parliamentary elections, he said that after the general election to 38 Lok Sabha seats, in the poll to Vellore Lok Sabha seat the people had favoured the AIADMK and the DMK in three Assembly constituencies (within Vellore LS constituency) each. “Since then, the people have brought a change in the State. They have given the right to rule Tamil Nadu only to the AIADMK,” Mr. Panneerselvam said.
Sikkim CM wins from Poklok Kamrang seat, BJP bags Martam
Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang aka P.S. Golay won the by-poll to the Poklok Kamrang Assembly seat by 8,953 votes.
The Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) founder defeated his nearest rival Moses Rai of the Sikkim Democratic Front, an election official said.
While Mr. Golay registered 10,811 votes, Mr. Rai polled 1,858 votes.
The SKM supremo secured 84% of the 12,870 votes polled in the seat on October 21.
Yadhu Kumar Rai of the Sikkim Republican Party stood third with 125 votes while 76 none of the above (NOTA) votes were polled.
The SKM’s alliance partner, BJP too opened its account in the State, with its candidate Sonam TSH Venchungpa winning from Martam Rumtek Assembly seat by defeating his nearest rival Nuk Tshering Bhutia of the SDF by 6,150 votes, he said.
Mr. Venchungpa polled 8,204 votes while Mr. Bhutia secured 2,054 votes.
Nima Lepcha of the Hamro Sikkim Party stood third with 1,235 votes.
Some 154 NOTA votes were polled. The counting of votes for the Gangtok Assembly seat is underway.
- PTI
CPI(M) wins Konni seat in Kerala
CPI(M)'s K.U. Jenish Kumar won the Konni bypoll by securing a lead of 9,953 votes over UDF's P. Mohanraj.
BJP's K. Surendran finished third.
This is the the first time in 23 years that the ruling CPI(M) is winning in the turf lost to the Congress 23 years ago.
Formed in 1965, the Konni Assembly segment had witnessed 11Assembly polls so far. But, the constituency is headed for a byelection for the first time following the election of its sitting MLA, Adoor Prakash, to the Lok Sabha from Attingal Lok Sabha constituency in May.
Several Haryana Ministers trailing
Seven Haryana ministers, including Ram Bilas Sharma and Capt Abhimanyu were trailing, as per Election Commission trends.
Agriculture Minister Om Prakash Dhankar (Badli), Education Minister Ram Bilas Sharma (Mahendragarh), Local Bodies Minister Kavita Jain (Sonipat), Finance Minister Capt. Abhimanyu (Narnaund) and Transport Minister Krishan Lal Panwar are trailing.
The BJP had denied tickets to its Industry Minister Vipul Goel and PWD Minister Rao Narbir Singh.
Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar (Karnal) and Health Minister Anil Vij (Ambala Cantonment) are leading.
BJP, ally ahead in 7 seats in Uttar Pradesh
The ruling BJP is ahead in six assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh and ally Apna Dal (S) in one, in the bypolls as per the latest trends. The Samajwadi Party is ahead in two, while the Congress and the BSP are leading in the two remaining seats. While the saffron party is leading in Manikpur, Ghosi, Iglas, Lucknow Cantt, Govindnagar and Balha, its ally Apna Dal (Sonelal) is ahead in Pratapgarh. The The SP is ahead in Rampur and Zairpur, the BSP in Jalalpur and the Congress in Gangoh.
Of the 11 seats of the state where bypolls were held on Monday, eight were held by the BJP and one by its ally Apna Dal (Sonelal). Two other seats were shared by the Samajwadi Party and the BSP.
In Gujarat's Amraiwadi, Congress' Dharmendra Patel leads over BJP candidate by a margin of over 5,000 vote. BJP had won this seat in Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation in previous elections with huge majority.
Overall, of the six Assembly seats, Congress and BJP are leading in three seats each. BJP is leading in Tharad, Kheralu and Lunawada, while Congress is leading in Radhanpur, Bayad and Amraiwadi.
Congress leading in both seats in Rajasthan
Ruling Congress party candidates are leading in both the assembly constituencies in Rajasthan.
Congress candidate Rita Chaudhary is leading with a margin of 7,745 votes in Mandawa against BJP’s Sushila Sigra.
In Nagaur’s Khinwsar constituency, Congress candidate Harendra Mirdha is leading with a margin of 144 votes.
BJP leads 3 seats in Assam, AIUDF in 1
The ruling BJP is leading in three of the four Assembly seats in Assam where by-polls were held on Monday.
Rajen Borthakur of the BJP is leading over his nearest rival Kartik Kurmi of the Congress by 19,965 votes in Rangapara Assembly constituency.
While Rajen Borthakur (28,437) of the BJP is leading over his nearest rival Kartik Kurmi (8,472 votes) of the Congress by 19,965 votes in Rangapara Assembly constituency, Bijoy Malakar of the saffron party has established a lead of 4,501 votes over Congress’ Keshab Prasad Rajak in Ratabari Assembly seat. Malakar secured 13,175 votes while Rajak has garnered 8,674 votes.
Nabanita Handique of the BJP is leading over her nearest rival Sushil Kumar Suri of the Congress by 76 votes in Sonari Assembly seat.
Rafiqul Islam (6,491) of the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) has gained a lead of 1,528 votes over his nearest rival Shamsul Hoque (4,963) of the Congress in Jania Assembly constituency.
Balajied Kupar Synrem of United Democratic Party is leading in Shella Assembly byelection.
The byelection was conducted following the demise of former Assembly Speaker and longest serving legislator of Shella, Dr Donkupar Roy on July 28, 2019.
Balajied Kupar Synrem is the son of the late Roy.
BJP wins Dharamshala bypoll
The ruling BJP on Thursday won the Dharamshala bypoll in Himachal Pradesh, with its candidate Vishal Nehriya winning by a margin of 6,673 votes.
Nehriya defeated his nearest rival Rakesh Kumar, an independent candidate. Congress candidate Vijay Inder Karan was at the third place.
In the 2017 Assembly elections, the victory margin of Kishan Kapoor of the BJP over Sudhir Sharma of the Congress was of 2,997 votes in Dharamshala.
BJP wins 1 of 3 seats
In Sikkim's Martam-rumtek, BJP's Sonam Tshering Venchungpa has won over SDF candidate by a margin of 6,150 votes.
Counting is in progress in Poklok-kamrang, where the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha candidate is leading.
BJP summons CM Khattar to Delhi
Former Haryana Chief Minister and Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda is leading from Garhi Sampla Kiloi seat by a margin of over 14,990 votes. BJP’s Satish Nandal is trailing, says Haryana CEO.
As early trends indicate show a possibility of a hung Assembly in Haryana, the BJP’s central leadership has summoned Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar to Delhi, a party source told The Hindu .
Dismal performance by BJP, TDP in Telangana
TRS continues to lead in Mattampally mandal, after Nereducherla and Palakaveedu, in the sixth and seventh rounds now.
After the sixth round, TRS is on top of the chart with a cumulative of about 30,800 vote count, of the total of around 55,000 votes counted till now.
Congress' N. Padmavati Reddy in the counting hall at the Suryapet AMC godowns.
BJP and TDP have performed poorly till now — both the parties did not cross the 1,000-mark after completion of six rounds. They are on the top of the chart serial number-wise, but have gathered 691 and 501 votes respectively.
Congress candidates wins Puducherry's Kamaraj Nagar
Congress candidate A. John Kumar won the Kamaraj Nagar byelection in Puducherry by a margin of 7, 170 votes. He secured 14, 782 votes while his immediate rival S. Bouvaneswarane of All India N R Congress received 7,612 votes. M. Praveena of Naam Tamilar Katchi came third by securing 620 votes.
The ruling Sikkim Krantikari Morcha and the opposition BJP are leading in one seat each in Sikkim. The trends of Gangtok is yet to be announced.
BJP is trailing in two of the three Assembly constituencies in western Uttar Pradesh that went for bypoll on October 21.
In Rampur, SP's Tazeen Fatima is leading by around 12,300 votes and in Gangoh, Nauman Masood of the Congress is leading by around 1,100 votes.
In Iglas reserved seat, Rajkumar Sahyogi of the BJP has secured a lead of around 5,200 votes over the BSP's Abhay Kumar.
In five Assembly constituencies of Bihar, where byelections were held on Oct 21, The JD(U) is leading in two seats, while BJP, RJD and VIP are leading in one constituency each.
UDF leading in 3 seats, LDF in 2
The United Democratic Front (UDF) continues to lead in Manjeswaram, Ernakulam and Aroor even as Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidates significantly enhanced their lead in Konni and Vattiyurkavu, nearly two-and-half hours into the counting of votes in Kerala.
In Manjeswaram, UDF candidate M.C. Kamarudeen has improved his lead to over 6,600 votes when votes polled in 78 of the 199 polling stations were completed by 10 a.m. BJP's Ravish Thanthri Kuntar is trailing second.
UDF's T.J. Vinod has enhanced his lead in Ernakulam to over 4,200 votes over his nearest rival LDF-backed independent Manu Roy.
In Aroor, the other constituency where the UDF is leading, UDF's Shanimol Usman is leading by over 2,400 votes over LDF's Manu C. Pulickal. In Konni, K.U. Jenish Kumar of the LDF was leading by around 4,600 votes when votes polled in 112 of the 213 booths were counted.
Thiruvananthapuram Mayor and LDF candidate V.K. Prasanth appears to be inching closer to victory in Vattiyurkavu. He is leading by around 8,400 votes over his nearest rival K. Mohan Kumar of the UDF. S. Suresh of the BJP is trailing in third place.
BJD leads over BJP by over 23,000 votes in Odisha’s Bijepur
BJD candidate Rita Sahu has established a lead of 23,365 votes over her nearest rival Sanat Gartia of the BJP in the by-poll to Odisha’s Bijepur Assembly constituency.
While Sahu has polled 31,286 votes, Gartia has secured 7,921 votes while Congress candidate Dilip Kumar Panda has garnered 1,115 votes at the end of the fourth round of counting.
The by-election to the politically-sensitive seat in Bargarh district was necessitated after Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who had won from two seats in the Assembly polls held in April, resigned from Bijepur and retained his home-turf Hinjili in Ganjam district.
TRS takes early lead in Huzurnagar bypoll
The ruling TRS was ahead of opposition Congress in in the Huzurnagar Assembly bypoll in Telangana.
TRS candidate S. Saidi Reddy was leading over his Congress rival N. Padmavati Reddy after the completion of the second round by around 4,000 votes.
The bypoll, the first after last year’s Assembly elections in Telangana, has been necessitated due to the resignation of State Congress president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy following his election to the Lok Sabha.
LDF leading in Vattiyurkavu seat
V.K. Prasanth of the LDF appears to be headed for a historic win in the Vattiyurkavu Assembly constituency as his lead over K. Mohankumar of the UDF to over 6,700 votes after the fifth round of counting in the by-election. The victory is expected to provide a major boost for the LDF government in the State.
Jubiliant LDF cadres celebrate in front of the counting center in Thiruvananthapuram.
LDF workers broke into celebrations outside the counting centre at the St. Mary’s Higher Secondary School, Pattom. Sensing a victory, Mr. Prasanth said that the electorate has snubbed caste identity-driven politics and that the outcome is the people’s verdict on the performance of both the State government as well as the LDF-led Thiruvananthapuram Corporation. The CPI (M)’s policy of providing opportunities to youths has also been accepted.
While admitting defeat, Mr. Mohankumar said that the poll outcome was not surprising, considering the acceptability Mr. Prasanth had gained in the aftermath of the recent floods when he had spearheaded the relief efforts. The UDF candidate also said that the NSS stance to openly endorse the Congress-led coalition could also have backfired and resulted in his defeat.
The electoral outcome has also come as a blow for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) which appeared to be consigned to the third place. The BJP-led coalition has come a close second to the UDF during the last few elections.
In Vikravandi bypoll after round 6, AIADMK's Muthamizhselvan is leading with 6,083 votes followed by DMK's N. Pugazhenthi (3,566).
Congress candidate Rita Chaudhary leading by 4,299 votes at Rajasthan's Mandawa Assembly seat in the by-election. Sushila Sigra of BJP trailing, according to Rajasthan CEO.
In Khinwsar constituency, Narayan Beniwal of Rashtriya Loktantrik Party, fielded by RLP-BJP alliance is also trailing.
Ex BCCI chief Ranbir Mahendra of Cong trailing in Badhra
Congress candidate and former BCCI chief Ranbir Singh Mahendra was trailing behind JJP’s Naina Chautala in Haryana’s Badhra constituency while former hockey captain Sandeep Singh of the BJP was ahead in Pehowa constituency, as per initial EC trends.
Naina Chautala was leading by a margin of about 1,190 votes.
Sandeep Singh was leading over Congress’ Mandeep Singh Chatha from Pehowa by a margin of about 881 votes.
From Panipat City, Parmod Kumar Vij of the BJP was leading over Congress candidate Sanjay Aggarwal by a margin of around 4,400 votes while Mohd Illyas of Congress was ahead from Punhana over Rahish Khan, an Independent, by a margin of about 586 votes. - PTI
Cong. candidate leading in Puducherry's Kamaraj Nagar
In the bypoll to Kamaraj Nagar constituency in Puducherry, Congress candidate A. John Kumar is leading with 14,782 votes followed by AINRC's S. Bouvaneswarane (7,612). M. Praveena of Naam Tamilar Katchi) polled 620 votes.
Counting of EVMs of Palakaveedu, the mandal with 19,639 voters – the minimum in the constituency – concludes.
For fifth round, TRS' Saidi Reddy is leading with over 5,000 votes, a margin of over 2000 votes over Congress candidate. Congress' Padmavati Reddy is trailing behind with over 3,000 votes in the round.
Together, Mr. Reddy (TRS) and Ms. Padmavati Reddy (Congress) have gathered around 90% of the votes till now.
Congress ahead in 3 seats, SAD leading in 1
The Congress is ahead in the three seats of Jalalabad, Phagwara and Mukerian, while the SAD is leading in Dakha in the bypolls to four assembly seats of Punjab, as per early trends.
Congress nominee Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal is leading over his nearest rival and BJP nominee Rajesh Bagha by a margin of 1,852 votes from Phagwara seat, according to initial trends.
From Mukerian seat, BJP nominee Jangi Lal Mahajan is trailing by 212 votes against his nearest rival and Congress candidate Indu Bala.
Shiromani Akali Dal candidate Manpreet Singh Ayali is also leading over his nearest rival and Congress nominee Sandeep Sandhu from Dakha assembly seat by 759 votes, as per initial trends.
From Jalalabad, Congress candidate Raminder Awla is ahead of SAD candidate Raj Singh Dibipura by 5,936 votes. - PTI
NCP's Shriniwas Patel leads in Satara
In Satara Parliamentary constituency, Sharad Pawar's aide Shriniwas Dadasaheb Patil is leading over BJP's Udayanraje Bhosale.
A former Nationalist Congress Party MP from the constituency, Mr. Bhosale had announced his entry into the BJP last month . He filed his nominations this week, after his name featured in the party’s first list of candidates.
AIADMK maintains lead in Vikravandi
At the end of fifth round round of counting, AIADMK's Muthamizhselvan is leading with 6,020 votes followed by DMK's N. Pugazhenthi (3,656).
Vikravandi bypoll candidates N. Pugazhenthi (DMK) and M.R. Muthamizhselvan (AIADMK) at a counting centre in Puducherry on Thursday, October 24, 2019.
Congress' Vinod improves lead in Kochi
The lead of T.J. Vinod of the UDF has improved to 3,830 votes when the sixth round of counting was over.
While Mr. Vinod polled 26,401 votes, his nearest rival Manu Roy of LDF got 22,571 votes and NDA's Rajagopal 8,312 votes.
Interestingly, K.M. Manu, an independent candidate and the namesake of the LDF candidate has got 1,648 votes.
OBC leader Alpesh Thakor, who defected to BJP from Congress is trailing from Radhanpur seat. His aide Dhawalsinh Zala is also trailing from Bayad seat. BJP is also trailing from Amraiwadi in Ahmedabad city seat.
The ruling AIADMK is leading in both Vikravandi and Nanguneri byelections. After the second round of counting, AIADMK candidate M.R. Muthamizhselvan was leading with 4,444 votes.
Congress candidate Rajman Benzam leading by 1,900 votes over BJP’s Lachhuram Kashyap in Chitrakot Assembly bypoll in Chhattisgarh after second round of counting.
In the 2018 Assembly elections, Congress' Deepak Baij defeated BJP's Kashyap from the constituency by a margin of 17,770 votes. He was elected to Lok Sabha from Bastar and hence gave up the Assembly seat.
Current trends:
| Constituency | Leading |
| Kishanganj | - |
| Simri Bakhtiarpur | VIP |
| Daraundha | - |
| Nathnagar | - |
| Belhar | - |
Dinesh Kumar Nishad of Vikassheel Insaan Party leads over Zafar Alam of RJD by 796 votes in by-poll to Simri Bakhtiarpur Assembly constituency in Bihar.
The VIP is part of National Democratic Alliance.
BJP leading in Dharamshala
| Constituency | Leading |
| Dharamshala | BJP |
| Pachhad | - |
The BJP is leading on one of the two seats in Himachal Pradesh. Vishal Nehriya of the BJP is leading with 1,187 votes against his nearest rival Vijay Inder Karan of the Congress in Dharamshala.
The trend is being awaited for Pachhad seat.
Independent candidate Chakat Aboh leading
Independent candidate Chakat Aboh is leading in Arunachal's Khonsa West Assembly constituency.
| Constituency | Leading |
| Khonsa West | Independent |
Byelections were necessitated because Khonsa West MLA Tirong Aboh was gunned down by suspected militants two days ahead of poll results. He was post-humously declared winner. Chakat Aboh is his wife. She is being backed by as many as six political parties, including Congress and the BJP.
Counting begins for 11 constituencies
Counting of votes for bypolls to 11 Assembly Constituencies of Uttar Pradesh began at 8 a.m. All preparations for the smooth counting have been completed, the election office here said.
On Monday, 47.05% voters had exercised their franchise in the bypolls, mostly necessitated after sitting legislators got elected to the Lok Sabha in May 2019.
| Constituency | Leading |
| Gangoh | INC |
| Rampur | - |
| Iglas | BSP |
| Lucknow Cant | BJP |
| Govindnagar | - |
| Manikpur | - |
| Pratapgarh | - |
| Zaidpur | SP |
| Jalalpur | - |
| Balha | - |
Of the 11 seats where bypolls were held, eight were held by the BJP and one by its ally Apna Dal (Sonelal). Two other seats were shared by the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party.
The Ghosi seat fell vacant following the resignation of sitting MLA Phagu Chauhan after he was appointed as Bihar Governor.
The BJP, BSP, SP and the Congress fielded their candidates on all the 11 seats.
According to the office of the state chief electoral officer, 109 candidates are in the fray for the bypolls to the assembly seats of Gangoh, Rampur, Iglas (SC), Lucknow Cantonment, Govind Nagar, Manikpur, Pratapgarh, Zaidpur (SC), Jalalpur, Balha (SC) and Ghosi.
In the assembly, the BJP currently has 302 members, followed by the SP (47) and the BSP (18). BJP ally Apna Dal (Sonelal) has eight legislators, while the Congress has seven MLAs in the House. - PTI
Counting of votes for six Assembly bypolls begins
Counting of votes for by-elections to six Assembly constituencies in Gujarat began at 8 a.m.
Over 600 government employees have been deployed for the exercise in the constituencies spread across six districts, Gujarat Chief Electoral Officer S. Murali Krishna said.
| Constituency | Leading |
| Tharad | - |
| Radhanpur | - |
| Kheralu | - |
| Bayad | - |
| Amraiwadi | - |
| Lunawada | - |
An average 53.67% voter turnout was recorded in the by-elections held on Monday in Tharad seat of Banaskantha district, Radhanpur in Patan, Kheralu in Mehsana, Bayad in Arvalli, Amraiwadi in Ahmedabad and Lunawada in Mahisagar district.
“Each counting centre will have a three-layer security, comprising personnel of the local police, State Reserve Police and Central Armed Police,” it said.
Byelections were necessitated in Radhanpur and Bayad after their respective sitting Congress MLAs Alpesh Thakor and Dhavalsinh Zala joined the ruling BJP.
The saffron party fielded Thakor and Zala in the bypolls from their respective seats.
Besides, bypolls were held in Tharad, Lunawada, Kheralu and Amraiwadi after the sitting BJP MLAs got elected to the Lok Sabha.
Four of these six seats were won by the BJP in the 2017 Assembly polls, and the rest two by the Congress.
Apart from Thakor and Zala, the BJP fielded Jivrajbhai Patel in Tharad, Jignesh Sevak in Lunawada, Ajmalbhai Thakor in Kheralu and Jagdish Patel in Amraiwadi.
The Congress contestants were Gulabsinh Rajput (Tharad), Raghubhai Desai (Radhanpur), Babuji Thakor (Kheralu), Jasubhai Patel (Bayad), Dharmendra Patel (Amraiwadi) and Gulabsinh Chauhan (Lunawada). - PTI
Counting of votes for Chitrakot Assembly bypoll begins
Counting of votes for Chitrakot Assembly bypoll in Chhattisgarh began amid tight security.
Both the ruling Congress and opposition BJP in the State are eying victory in the Naxal-affected seat, reserved for Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidates.
| Constituency | Leading |
| Chitrakot | Janta Congress Chhattisgarh |
Counting began at 8 a.m. at Women Polytechnic College, Dharampura, at the Bastar district headquarters of Jagdalpur, a poll official said.
“A three-layer security has been arranged at the counting centre,” he said, adding that postal ballots will be counted first.
After completion of counting of votes polled in the electronic voting machines, the exercise of matching Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips with the EVMs will be carried out, he said.
The by-election was necessitated after Congress MLA Deepak Baij got elected to the Lok Sabha from Bastar parliamentary constituency.
The bypoll held on Monday registered a voter turnout of 78.12%.
The main contest is between Rajman Benzam of the Congress and Lachhuram Kashyap of the BJP.
In the 2018 Assembly elections, Congress’ Deepak Baij defeated BJP’s Kashyap from the constituency by a margin of 17,770 votes.
In the 90-member House, the Congress then won 68 seats and the BJP-15. The Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (J) and the BSP bagged five and two seats, respectively. - PTI
| Constituency | Leading |
| Huzurnagar | TRS |
TRS lead continues in the third round of 22 rounds of counting. Of the total 26, 441 votes counted so far, 58% votes went to TRS' S. Saidi Reddy.
As per distribution of EVMs polling station-wise, the first three rounds belonged to Nereducherla mandal, which has 34,087 registered voters.
Current trends:
| Constituency | Leading |
| Vikravandi | AIADMK |
| Nanguneri | - |
In Tamil Nadu, all eyes are on the outcome which will provide the moral edge to one of the two Dravidian parties — AIADMK and DMK — against their respective archrival.
The result would not have any bearing on the stability of the K Palaniswami-led AIADMK government nor would it boost the tally of the DMK-led front by a great margin, but a win would certainly allow one of the camps to boast of something. - PTI
One hour into the counting of votes polled in the October 21 by-elections, the United Democratic Front (UDF) was leading in three constituencies and the Left Democratic Front (LDF), in two.
| Constituency | Leading |
| Manjeswaram | UDF |
| Ernakulam | UDF |
| Aroor | UDF |
| Vattiyoorkaavu | LDF |
| Konni | LDF |
UDF is leading in Manjeswaram, Ernakulam and Aroor. LDF leads in Konni and Vattiyurkavu.
In Manjeswaram, the UDF candidate M.C. Kamarudeen was leading by 2714 votes over his nearest rival, BJP-led NDA's Raveesh Thanthri Kuntar.
T.J. Vinod of the UDF is leading by 710 votes in Ernakulam constituency over LDF-backed independent Manu Roy. UDF's Shanimol Usman is leading by 641 votes in Aroor over LDF's Manu C. Pulickal.
LDF's K.U. Jenish Kumar is leading by 343 votes in Konni. P. Mohanraj of the UDF is trailing second.
In Vattiyurkavu, the LDF candidate and Thiruvananthapuram Mayor V.K. Prasanth is leading the pack by 958 votes. UDF's K. Mohan Kumar is in second place.
Congress candidate A. Johnkumar is leading in Puducherry's Kumaran Nagar. The seat fell vacant after former Speaker V. Vaithilingam resigned after he was elected to Lok Sabha.
The DMK has extended its support to Congress, while the AIADMK and BJP have thrown their weight behind NR Congress candidate Bouvanesvarane.
A head start for TRS in Saidireddy at completion of round one. A majority of 2473 votes over his main rival Congress’ Padmavati Reddy. BJP’s Kota Rama Rao got 128 votes.
A total of 9729 votes counted so far.
In Ernakulam constituency, while the Congress candidate T.J. Vinod will view the election trends from the District Congress Committee office along with his party colleagues, the LDF candidate Manu Roy chose to be at Lenin Centre, the district party office.
Mr. Vinod is the Deputy Mayor of Kochi and the president of the District Congress Committee. However, NDA's C.G. Rajagopal arrived at the counting centre minutes before the beginning of the counting of votes.
Mr. Rajagopal won 6 of the 13 postal ballots received at Kochi. While Mr. Vinod got 3 votes, Mr. Manu got two votes. Two votes were polled for NOTA.
Counting of postal ballots begins in Vikravandi . A large number of police personnel have been deployed in front of E. Engineering College where votes are being counted.
Police personnel deployed outside the counting centre in Vikravandi
While Nanguneri recorded a moderate voter turnout of 66.35% in October 21’s byelection, Vikravandi posted 84.36% polling, a 3% increase from the 81% it recorded during the 2016 Assembly election.
In Huzurnagar Assembly constituency , counting of votes has been declared open by the Returning Officer P. Chandraiah. There will be 22 rounds of counting.
Congress' N. Padmavati Reddy, BJP’s Kota Rama Rao and other independent candidates are also present. Congress candidate N. Padmavati Reddy said that he is hoping for the best.
elangana Rashtra Samithi’s candidate Shanampudi Saidireddy said that he expects to win with "never-before" majority.
"Congress had ridiculed democracy in Huzurnagar with its kind of electioneering. People have voted for car in large numbers. Will win with never-before majority in Huzurnagar,” he said, from the counting centre.
Ernakulam Assembly constituency: The sorting of service and postal votes have started at Ernakulam's Maharaja's College. Two postal votes and 11 service votes have been received at the counting centre
Meanwhile, in Manjeshwaram constituency , the counting room at the Government High School, Paivalike Nagar was opened by the election observer Sushma Godbole, and in the presence of administrator Premchandran and booth agents at 8 a.m.
As many as 12 tables has been arranged and sorting of service and postal votes have began.
Litmus test for Adityanath in U.P.
In politically crucial Uttar Pradesh, the polls are seen as a litmus test for the Adityanath government which has completed 30 months in office. The BJP currently has 302 members out of 403 in the Assembly. It is a four-cornered contest with the BJP, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Samajwadi Party (SP) and Congress fielding candidates on all 11 Assembly seats.
Eight of these seats were held earlier by the BJP and one by its ally Apna Dal (Sonelal). The seats of Rampur and Jalalpur (Ambedkarnagar) were held by the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party, respectively
The State saw a low voter turnout of 47.05% in the bypolls.
Congress looks to boost majority in Rajasthan
In Rajasthan, it will be an opportunity for the ruling Congress to consolidate its thin majority if it is able wrest the two seats from the BJP and its ally RLP. Of the 200 Assembly seats in Rajasthan, the Congress has 106 MLAs, including the six who defected to the party from the BSP recently
Fate of CM, football star to be decided in Sikkim
In Sikkim, where bypolls were held for three seats, Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang (Poklok Kamrang constituency) is among the candidates. The strength of the ruling Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) is 18, while the BJP has 10 MLAs in the 32-member House. The Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) is left with one MLA after several others deserted the party. Former Indian football team captain Bhaichung Bhutia is contesting from Gangtok on Hamro Sikkim Party (HSP) ticket.
AIADMK, DMK look for morale booster in Tamil Nadu
The ruling AIADMK and DMK are both looking for a moral edge with victory in Vikravandi and Nanguneri Assembly seats in Tamil Nadu. While Nanguneri was with the Congress, Vikravandi was represented by DMK MLA K. Radhamani who died in June. A win in even one of the constituencies for the AIADMK will provide the much-needed fillip to the party which was routed in the recent Lok Sabha elections.
In Kerala , three of the five Assembly seats where bypolls are being held in Kerala were with the Opposition Congress.
In Gujarat, t he BJP has fielded former Congress MLA Alpesh Thakor from Radhanpur in Gujarat where bypolls were held for six seats, four of which were with the BJP and two with the Congress.
In Punjab, a Congress win in bypolls will be seen as an endorsement of Chief Minister Amarinder Singh’s policies. Out of the four seats, the BJP, Shiromani Akali Dal, Aam Aadmi Party and Congress held one seat each.
Counting of votes will also be held for Khonsa West seat in Arunachal Pradesh , Naxal-hit Chitrakot in Chhattisgarh , Huzurnagar in Telangana , Jhabua in Madhya Pradesh and Shella in Meghalaya . In Assam , three of the seats were with the BJP and one with the Congress.
In Bihar , the ruling JD(U) had won four seats in Bihar while one was with the Congress. Assembly elections are due next year in the State and the bypoll result in the four seats could be seen as a vote on the performance of Nitish Kumar government.
In the other northern States, results will be out for Pachhad and Dharamshala seats in Himachal Pradesh . Both were held by the ruling BJP earlier.
(With inputs from our Correspondents and Agencies)
