Violence mars voter turnout in MP, Srinagar by-elections
The Kashmir Valley responded in anger and violence was recorded in Madhya Pradesh during by-elections to the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat and 10 assembly constituencies in eight states, including New Delhi’s Rajouri Garden seat, on Sunday.
The voter turnout in Srinagar was sub-10% as the bypoll recorded mass protests and clashes with forces, which killed about six people allegedly throwing stones and wounded more than a 100 personnel.
In Madhya Pradesh, preceded by controversies related to electronic voting machines, Ater and Bandhavgarh (ST) assembly constituencies went to the polls and clocked over 52% turnout.
Villagers allegedly threw stones at the car of Congress candidate Hemant Katare and police vehicles in Ater. Six vehicles were damaged, sources said.
The incident happened at Sankri polling booth where Katare had gone to check reports of booth capturing by BJP candidate Arvind Bhadoria’s followers. Additional police force was rushed to the area.
By-election to west Delhi’s Rajouri Garden assembly seat is seen as the trailer to the municipal elections this month.
The seat was held by the Aam Aadmi Party’s Jarnail Singh before he resigned to contest the Punjab assembly polls this February.
In Jharkhand’s Littipara assembly bypoll, about 72% turnout was recorded till evening.
Polling was peaceful and around 52% votes were cast in six hours in the Kanthi Dakshin assembly by-poll in West Bengal.
The ruling Trinamool Congress has nominated former minister of state for health Chandrima Bhattacharya as its candidate.
In Karnataka, by-polls to Nanjangud and Gundlupet assembly constituencies were held. Fresh polls had to be called at Nanjanagud as V Srinivas Prasad, the Congress MLA, resigned after he was dropped from the ministry. Prasad is now the BJP candidate.
Bypolls were also held in Rajasthan’s Dholpur, Bhoranj in Himachal Pradesh and Dhemaji in Assam.
Former J&K chief minister Farooq Abdullah is contesting the Srinagar seat that fell vacant after the resignation of PDP leader Tariq Hameed Karra during last year’s unrest triggered by the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani.
In Tamil Nadu, the EC called a special meeting on Sunday to discuss scrapping a high-profile assembly bypoll in Chennai’s RK Nagar after tax authorities allegedly found large-scale bribery to swing the election.
A decision is expected latest by Monday.