Today’s By-election Results for Seven Assembly Seats: All Eyes on INDIA vs. NDA Contest. Key Updates Inside.

Bypoll Results Update: The tabulation of votes for seven assembly seats—Bageshwar, Ghosi, Puthuppally, Dhupguri, Dumri, Boxanagar, and Dhanpur—commenced at 8 am.

Considered a pivotal electoral examination for the Opposition’s Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) vis-à-vis the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) ahead of upcoming assembly elections in five states and the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the by-election results for these seven assembly seats in six states will be announced on Friday. The counting process began at 8 am at designated centers within the respective states.

Of the seven seats, three (Dhanpur, Bageshwar, and Dhupguri) were held by the BJP, while one each was held by the Samajwadi Party (Ghosi), CPI(M) (Boxanagar), JMM (Dumri), and the Congress (Puthuppally).

Key updates on the bypoll results for these seven seats:

1. Ghosi in Uttar Pradesh witnessed the INDIA coalition presenting a united front during the by-elections. Voter turnout in Ghosi was slightly above average at 50.77 percent. The Ghosi seat became vacant following the resignation of Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA and OBC leader Dara Singh Chauhan, who later rejoined the BJP.
2. In Jharkhand’s Dumri, a total of 64.84 percent of the 2.98 lakh eligible voters exercised their franchise. The Election Commission established the counting center at Krishi Bazar Samiti, Pachambha, in Giridih district. “In all, 24 rounds of counting will be conducted, and over 70 officials have been deployed for the process,” stated Giridih Deputy Commissioner-cum-Election Officer Naman Priesh Lakra. While the primary contest is believed to be between Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)’s Bebi Devi and AJSU Party’s Yashoda Devi, AIMIM’s Abdul Rizvi, who came fourth in a four-way contest in 2019, has sought to make it a triangular fight once again. While the INDIA alliance had the backing of the Congress and RJD, Yashoda Devi of AJSU Party was supported by the BJP, the senior partner in the NDA. On Tuesday, both the INDIA and NDA coalitions claimed victory for their respective candidates.
3. The counting of votes for the Bageshwar assembly bypoll in Uttarakhand will be carried out at 14 counting tables, with 130 polling personnel overseeing the process, as confirmed by District Magistrate Anuradha Pal. The Bageshwar seat became vacant following the passing of its MLA and cabinet minister Chandan Ram Das in April of this year. Chandan Ram Das had secured victory in the seat four times since 2007.
4. In Tripura, the vote counting for both seats—Boxanagar and Dhanpur—will occur at Sonamura Girls’ HS School. BJP’s Tafajjal Hussain, who unsuccessfully contested the last assembly election from Boxanagar, is running against CPI(M) nominee Mizan Hussain for the same seat. The CPI(M) announced a boycott of the counting process on Wednesday, alleging widespread rigging in the two constituencies during the voting.
5. For Dhupguri in West Bengal, which witnessed widespread violence during the assembly and panchayat elections, central armed forces and state police personnel are guarding the strong room on the second campus of North Bengal University in Jalpaiguri. The voter turnout here was approximately 76 percent. The candidate for the Congress-Left alliance, CPI(M)’s Ishwar Chandra Roy, is competing against the ruling TMC’s Nirmal Chandra Roy, who is a teacher. The BJP ticket was given to Tapasi Roy, the widow of a CRPF jawan who died while combating terrorists in Kashmir a few years ago. The by-election for this seat became necessary due to the demise of sitting BJP MLA Bishu Pada Ray earlier this year.
6. Kerala’s Puthuppally, which witnessed a fierce battle between the UDF and LDF to fill the seat vacated by the late Congress stalwart Oommen Chandy, awaits the results with great anticipation. This constituency, located in the southern Kottayam district, witnessed intense verbal clashes in the preceding weeks, as the September 5 by-election held immense prestige for both the state’s ruling and opposition coalitions. The vote counting will commence at the Baselius College’s special station, with postal and service ballots being counted first. Puthuppally had a total of 182 polling booths, and the electronic voting machine results will be tabulated over 13 rounds.