Byelections 2024: Here's Final Voting Data For 13 Assembly Seats In 7 States

Bypolls for 13 Assembly seats across seven states were conducted, marking the first significant electoral event after the general elections. These polls aimed to elect new Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) for seats vacated by lawmakers who contested Lok Sabha elections. The outcomes are expected to influence the political dynamics of both ruling and opposition parties in these states.

The bypolls place in West Bengal (4 seats Himachal Pradesh (3 seats), Uttarakhand (2 seats), and one seat each in Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, and Punjab. These vacancies arose due to the demise or resignation of incumbent members.

State-wise voter turnout

In Himachal Pradesh, where bypolls were needed following resignations of Independent members who joined BJP, it was a direct contest between Congress and BJP. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu's wife Kamlesh Thakur made her electoral debut from Dehra in Kangra district. This constituency was created after delimitation in 2010, and Congress has never won here.

The Chief Minister campaigned vigorously in Dehra compared to other seats to secure a win for Kamlesh Thakur against BJP's Hoshiyar Singh. Election officials reported that Himachal saw over 71% voter turnout till 7 p.m., with largely peaceful polling. Nalagarh recorded the highest polling at 78%, followed by Hamirpur at 67.7% and Dehra at 65.42%.

In Bihar's Rupauli Assembly segment in Purnea district, RJD candidate Bima Bharti, the only woman among 11 candidates, registered a 52.75% turnout till 6 p.m. Bharti had resigned from this seat to contest Lok Sabha elections and faced JD-U's Kaladhar Mandal. Several violent incidents occurred during the day, injuring four people, including an SHO.

Allegations surfaced that district police forcibly stopped people from voting, leading to clashes and stone-pelting. The police denied these claims. In Gorier village, independent candidate Shankar Singh's wife accused police of baton-charging voters and staged a dharna before voting resumed peacefully.

West Bengal sees mixed turnout

West Bengal held bypolls for Raiganj, Ranaghat-Dakshin, Bagda, and Maniktala seats amid violence and alleged malpractices. By 5 p.m., voter turnout stood at 62.71%. The Chief Electoral Officer's office stated that final polling percentages would be available on Thursday after tabulating reports from various booths.

The highest polling percentage was recorded in Raiganj at 67.12%, while Maniktala saw the lowest at 51.39%. In Punjab's Jalandhar West (SC) constituency, over 51% polling was recorded till 5 p.m., where Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann campaigned extensively for AAP candidate Mohinder Bhagat.

Madhya Pradesh records high turnout

Madhya Pradesh witnessed a high voter turnout of 78.38% in Amarwara Assembly seat in Chhindwara district-previously a stronghold of senior Congress leader Kamal Nath. The bypoll was necessitated by Congress MLA Kamlesh Shah resigning and joining BJP, which fielded him as their candidate.

Uttarakhand saw varied turnouts with Badrinath recording a low of 47.68%, while Manglaur had a high of 67.28%. In Tamil Nadu's Vikravandi Assembly seat, where DMK faced NDA constituent PMK without AIADMK contesting, a turnout of 77.73% was recorded till 5 p.m.

The election results for all these seats will be announced on July 13.