Vote Counting Begins for By-elections in Five States

Vote Counting Underway for By-elections

The counting of votes for by-elections across five states has commenced. Alongside the by-election results, the Election Commission will also announce the outcomes of the assembly elections held in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam, and Puducherry. The commission had previously decided to conduct by-elections to fill vacant assembly seats in Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Nagaland, and Tripura. However, the by-election for the Ponda seat in Goa was canceled by the Bombay High Court just a day before the voting was scheduled.

Details of the By-elections

The seven seats where by-elections are taking place include: Umreth (Gujarat), Bagalkot, Davanagere South (Karnataka), Rahuri, Baramati (Maharashtra), Koridang (Scheduled Tribe) (Nagaland), and Dharmanagar (Tripura).

In Gujarat, the Umreth seat became vacant following the death of Govindbhai Raijibhai Parmar. In Karnataka, the Bagalkot seat was vacated after the passing of H.Y. Meti (Meti Hullappa Yemanappa), and the Davanagere South seat was left open due to the death of Shamanur Shivshankarappa.

Maharashtra By-elections and Baramati Seat

In Maharashtra, the Rahuri seat became vacant after the death of Shivaji Bhanudas Kardile, while the Baramati seat was vacated following the demise of Ajit Pawar. The Election Commission has reported a voter turnout of 56.56% in this constituency. All eyes are on the Baramati seat as it was previously held by Ajit Pawar, the current Deputy Chief Minister, who passed away unexpectedly. NCP leader and current Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar, who is also Ajit Pawar's wife, is expected to win unopposed in this seat.