VOTERS QUEUE UP FOR 14 BYELECTIONS IN 10 STATES
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Braving heavy pre-monsoon showers and strong winds, at least 76% voters exercised their franchise in Kerala’s Chengannur assembly constituency that is witnessing a fierce three-cornered contest. The bypoll was peaceful and all three major contenders exuded confidence that the high polling figures would help them. The polling percentage in the previous assembly elections was 74%. While the ruling CPI(M) has fielded party’s Alappuzha district secretary Saji Cherian, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) former state president PS Sreedharan Pillai and Congress’s veteran leader SD Vijayakumar are also in the fray.
The by-election was necessitated with the death of sitting MLA KK Ramachandran Nair of the CPI(M). In recent history, no other constituency in the state has witnessed such hectic campaigning, with top leaders making their way to the state to garner votes. Ministers Prakash Javadekar, Smriti Irani, CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat and former defence minister
AK Antony were some leaders who came for the high-voltage campaigning that lasted for almost two months. ARARIA: Around 52% polling was recorded in the bypoll for Jokihat assembly seat in Araria district of Bihar on Monday. The polling percentage is much lower compared to the previous assembly election. Araria district magistrate Himanshu Sharma said, “The polling remained peaceful and voters exercised their franchise despite intense heat.” During the last assembly election, around 62% people had voted. Commenting on the comparatively low turnout, the DM said, “It was intense heat coupled with Ramzan.” The votes will be counted on May 31. SHAHKOT: Braving the heat, 76.6% of the 1.7 lakh voters exercised their franchise in the Shahkot assembly bypoll on Monday. This is two percentage points lower than the polling reported in last year’s assembly election in which Shiromani Akali Dal’s Ajit Singh Kohar, whose death necessitated this bypoll, defied a statewide anti-incumbency wave to win even as the Congress formed the government. The result is scheduled for May 31. Voting at all 236 polling booths, equipped with VVPAT machines, passed off peacefully, though 26 machines at different booths had to be replaced due to glitches.
Just over half the electorate exercised its franchise in the politically crucial bypoll to Tharali assembly constituency in Chamoli district on Monday. By the end of the day, 53.43% voters had cast their votes, district information officer incharge of the election control room GS Bisht said. Though largely peaceful, the bypoll was boycotted at Devsari village in Dewal area by voters as their demand for a road was not being fulfilled, he said. The bypoll was necessitated following the death of BJP MLA Magan Lal Shah. SHILLONG: Despite extreme temperatures, the electorate of Ampati in Meghalaya turned out in huge numbers to exercise their franchise and elect Dr Mukul Sangma’s successor. Dr Sangma won from Ampati by a huge margin of 8,104 votes over Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Bakul Ch Hajong in February 27 this year. He vacated the seat to retain Songsak from where he also emerged victorious and put up his daughter Miani D Shira to keep the family flag flying. The final polling percentage stood at 90.42% when polling ended at 5.45pm, said Meghalaya chief electoral officer Frederick Roy Kharkongor. On February 27, the turnout was a little better at 90.70%. Despite high temperatures, the EVMS in Ampati did not malfunction, barring a minor glitch in a VVPAT (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit
Trail) machine at Rongkamgre polling station in the morning which was immediately rectified. Of 61 control units, 61 ballot units and 65 VVPATS that were provided for the polling, 39 bus, 39 CUS and 40 VVPAT were used, including the one that was changed, Kharkongor said. KOLKATA: The by-election in the Maheshtala assembly constituency witnessed more than 70% polling on Monday. Contrary to what Bengal witnessed during the panchayat polls on May 14 when 15 people died in violence, only central forces were in charge of security at 283 polling booths in Maheshtala. In 2016, Congress-backed CPI(M) heavyweight Shamik Lahiri lost to Trinamool’s Kasturi Das by more than 12,000 votes. This time around, CPI(M)’S Prabhat Chowdhury was backed by Congress but rise in BJP’S popularity is expected to divide opposition votes. Though the poll results were expected in view of Trinamool’s control over the area, Maheshtala remained in focus because of Kolkata mayor and Bengal’s environment minister Sovan Chatterjee’s bitter divorce proceedings.
The Trinamool Congress candidate from this seat is Dulal Das, Chatterjee’s father-in-law and husband of Kasturi Das. The assembly seat fell vacant after Kasturi Das died in February. She had been a councillor for a decade before becoming an MLA in 2011. Her husband heads the Maheshtala civic body since 2010.