
The results for the by-elections that were held across six Indian states will be declared today on Friday (Sept 8), as the counting of votes has begun.
It will be a litmus test for the INDIA alliance—a coalition of 26 regional and national parties that was formed to take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The results of Friday’s bypolls would give a sense of which the voters are leaning ahead of the general elections, where Modi will seek to retain his third term.
Acrosssix states, seven seats saw tough between the parties on Sept 5. These are: Bageshwar in Uttarakhand, Ghosi in Uttar Pradesh, Puthuppally in Kerala, Dhupguri in West Bengal, Dumri in Jharkhand, and Boxanagar and Dhanpur in Tripura.
Out of the seven seats, three (Dhanpur, Bageshwar and Dhupguri) were held by the BJP and one each by the Samajwadi Party (Ghosi), CPI(M) (Boxanagar), JMM (Dumri) and the Congress (Puthuppally).
In the Ghosi constituency, the polling percentage was recorded at 50.77 per cent and in Jharkhand's Dumri a total of 64.84 per cent voter turnout was recorded.
The Ghosi seat fell vacant after the resignation of SP MLA and OBC leader Dara Singh Chauhan, who rejoined the BJP.
For the Bageshwar assembly bypoll in Uttarakhand, the counting will be done at 14 tables with 130 polling personnel on the job, District Magistrate Anuradha Pal said on Thursday.
In Tripura, the counting of votes began at 8 am on Friday for the by-elections to the two assembly seats in Sepahijala district.
The polling for the by-elections to the Dhanpur and Boxanagar seats was held on September 5. An average turnout of 86.50 per cent was recorded in the two seats.
The counting was being held at the Sonamura Girls' School amid tight security.
Alleging large-scale rigging during the polling and inaction by the Election Commission, the opposition CPI(M) was boycotting the counting of votes. The two seats are witnessing a one-on-one fight between the ruling BJP and the CPI(M) with the other two opposition parties, Tipra Motha and Congress, not fielding any candidates.
In West Bengal's Dhupguri, personnel of CAPFs and the state police are guarding the strong room on the second campus of North Bengal University in Jalpaiguri, an official said.
Around 76 per cent of 2,60,000 eligible voters exercised their franchise in the by-election.
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