Bypolls voting 2024 LIVE: Voting underway in 15 seats across Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Kerala and Uttarakhand

Voting for bypolls for 15 assembly constituencies across Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Kerala, and Uttarakhand commenced at 7 a.m. on Wednesday, November 20. Vote counting scheduled for November 23.

Bypolls in UP

In Uttar Pradesh, byelections are held in Katehari, Karhal, Meerapur, Ghaziabad, Majhawan, Sisamau, Khair, Phulpur, and Kundarki. A total of 90 candidates are contesting in these constituencies, with Ghaziabad having the highest number of candidates at 14. There are 34,35,974 registered voters in the state, comprising 18,46,846 men, 15,88,967 women, and 161 third-gender voters. Ghaziabad has the largest voter base, while Sisamau has the smallest.

According to the Election Commission’s update at 9 am, the average voting across the seats stood at 9.67 per cent.

Another EC update at 9.30 am showed the voter turnout as Ghaziabad (5.36 per cent), Katehari (11.48 per cent), Khair (9.03 per cent), Kundarki (13.59 per cent), Karhal (9.67 per cent), Majhawan (10.55 per cent), Meerapur (13.01 per cent), Phulpur (8.83 per cent), Sisamau (5.73 per cent).

This marks the first electoral challenge for the INDIA bloc and the NDA in the politically significant state since the Lok Sabha elections.

Bypolls in Punjab

In Punjab, voters of four constituencies—Gidderbaha, Dera Baba Nanak, Chabbewal (SC), and Barnala—are casting their ballots.

Voter turnout of over eight percent was recorded in the first two hours of polling in the bypolls to four assembly segments in Punjab on Wednesday, officials said.

Bypolls to the Gidderbaha, Dera Baba Nanak, Chabbewal and Barnala assembly segments were necessitated after the incumbent lawmakers were elected to the Lok Sabha.

A voter turnout of 8.53 percent was registered till 9 am, they said.

The Gidderbaha seat recorded 13.1 percent polling, Dera Baba Nanak 9.7 percent, Barnala 6.9 percent and Chabbewal 4.15 percent.

The by-elections were prompted by the fact that the legislators representing these constituencies were elected to the Lok Sabha during the general elections earlier this year.

Forty-five candidates, including three women, are in the fray. A total of 6.96 lakh voters are eligible to exercise their franchise.

The bypolls will decide the fate of key contestants, including BJP nominee and former Punjab finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal, Congress’s Amrita Warring, Jatinder Kaur, AAP’s Hardeep Singh Dimpy Dhillon, Dr Ishank Kumar Chabbewal and BJP’s Kewal Singh Dhillon, Sohan Singh Thandal and Ravikaran Singh Kahlon.

Amrita Warring is the wife of Punjab Congress chief and Ludhiana MP Amrinder Singh Raja Warring. Jatinder Kaur is the spouse of Gurdaspur MP and former Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa.

Bypolls in Kerala and Uttarakhand

Besides Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, bypolls are being held for the Palakkad seat in Kerala and Kedarnath in Uttarakhand.

The first hour of voting in the Palakkad assembly by-poll in Kerala witnessed a low turnout of 1.11 per cent at 8 am which climbed to 6.76 per cent by 8.30 am, according to figures released by the Election Commission. People started arriving early in the morning at the 184 polling booths across the constituency, which has over 1.9 lakh voters who will cast their votes to elect a representative from among 10 candidates.