The results of bypolls in seven assembly seats have been declared. While the BJP won both Tripura seats, and Uttarakhand’s Bageshwar, SP secured Uttar Pradesh’s Ghosi seat.
In a major win, TMC registered victory in West Bengal’s Dhupuguri and Congress won Kerala’s Puthuppally. JMM candidate Bebi Devi emerged victorious from Jharkhand’s Dumri seat.
These bypolls were a major test for the opposition alliance, INDIA, against the BJP-led NDA ahead of the polls in five states later this year and Lok Sabha elections in 2024.
The counting of votes began at 8 am at centres set up in the respective states.
The seven seats — Bageshwar in Uttarakhand, Ghosi in Uttar Pradesh, Puthuppally in Kerala, Dhupguri in West Bengal, Dumri in Jharkhand, and Boxanagar and Dhanpur in Tripura — went to poll on September 5.
Out of the seven seats, three (Dhanpur, Bageshwar and Dhupguri) were held by the BJP and one each by the SP (Ghosi), CPI(M) (Boxanagar), JMM (Dumri) and the Congress (Puthuppally).
A Look At Some of The Updates
—Samajwadi Party’s Sudhakar Singh wins Uttar Pradesh’ Ghosi Seat
—JMM Wins Dumri Seat
-BJP Wins Bageshwar Seat
— Jharkhand Mukti Morcha Again Takes Lead, This Time By 7k Votes
JMM Candidate Biebi Devi is in the lead from the Dumri seat.
— Trinamool Congress Wins Dhupguri Seat
The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) was leading in the by-election to the Dhupguri assembly seat in West Bengal’s Jalpaiguri district on Friday in a close contest with the BJP, officials said.
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee expressed gratitude to the people of Dhupguri for the victory in by-poll.
“I thank the people of Dhupguri for reposing faith in us and voting decisively in our favour in the critical by-election to the Assembly constituency. People in North Bengal have been with us, and trust our strategy of growth, inclusiveness and empowerment. Bengal has shown its mandate, and soon INDIA too will show its preference. Jai Bangla! Jai INDIA!" Banerjee wrote in a post on X.
I thank the people of Dhupguri for reposing faith in us and voting decisively in our favour in the critical by-election to the Assembly constituency.People in North Bengal have been with us, and trust our strategy of growth, inclusiveness and empowerment.Bengal has shown its…— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) September 8, 2023
-Historic Win For Congress’ Chandy Oommen From Puthuppally
Opposition Congress-UDF on Friday retained the Puthuppally Assembly constituency in Kerala as its candidate Chandy Ommen won by a margin of over 36,000 votes in the bypoll, Election Commission sources said.
While Oommen, son of late Congress stalwart Oommen Chandy, gained a clear edge since the initial round, his nearest rival and ruling LDF candidate Jaick C Thomas could never gain a lead in any rounds.
The CPI(M)-led LDF lost ground even in its stronghold areas, and BJP candidate Lijin Lal was nowhere in the picture when the counting was over.
-BJP Wins Both Boxanagar and Dhanpur Seats in Tripura
The BJP won the by-elections to the Dhanpur and Boxanagar assembly seats in Tripura’s Sepahijala district on Friday, according to the Election Commission.
BJP’s Tafajjal Hossain won the Boxanagar seat, which has around 66 per cent minority voters, by 30,237 votes. Hossain got 34,146 votes, while his nearest rival Mizan Hossain of the CPI(M) got 3,909 votes.
BJP candidate Bindu Debnath bagged the Dhanpur seat, which has a significant tribal population, by 18,871 votes. Debnath got 30,017 votes, and his nearest rival Kaushik Chanda of the CPI(M) got 11,146 votes.
-Jharkhand Mukti Morcha Leading in Jharkhand, AJSU Second Now
-Who Is Leading & Where
Jharkhand’s Dumri - Yashoda Devi of AJSU Party is leading
Kerala’s Puthuppally - Chandy Oommen of Congress is leading
Triputa’s Boxanagar - Tafajjal Hossain of BJP is leading
Tripura’s Dhanpur - Bindu Debnath of BJP is leading
Uttar Pradesh’s Ghosi - Sudhakar SIngh of Samajwadi Party is leading
Uttarakhand’s Bageshwar - Parwati Dass of BJP is leading
West Bengal’s Dhupguri - Counting in Progress
-Chandy Oommen Leading With Over 17,000 votes
-What Does The Recent Trends Say
In the initial trends reported by the Election Commission, Chandy Oommen, the Congress candidate, is in the lead in Puthuppally, Kerala. Meanwhile, Tafajjal Hossain, the BJP candidate, is leading in Boxanagar, Tripura, and Basant Kumar, a Congress candidate, is currently ahead in Bageshwar, Uttarakhand.
Counting of votes for the seven assembly seats underway | Congress candidate Chandy Oommen is leading from Puthuppally in Kerala, BJP candidate Tafajjal Hossain is leading from Boxanagar in Tripura and Congress candidate Basant Kumar is leading from Bageshwar in Uttarakhand, in… pic.twitter.com/CFGXHV9hwr— ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2023
-Chandy Oommen Leading With 5699 Votes
In Puthupally, Congress’ Chandy Oommen is leading from front with With 5699 votes.
-Counting of Votes Begins for Tripura Bypolls, CPI(M) Boycotts Alleging Rigging
Counting of votes began at 8am on Friday for the by-elections to the two assembly seats in Tripura’s Sepahijala district, officials said. The polling for the by-elections to the Dhanpur and Boxanagar seats was held on September 5. An average turnout of 86.50 per cent was recorded in the two seats.
-UP: Counting of Votes Begins in Ghosi Assembly Bypoll
The counting of votes for the Ghosi assembly bypoll — being seen as the first major electoral clash between the NDA and opposition bloc INDIA — got underway at 8 am Friday, officials said. More than 50 per cent of the total electorates in the assembly constituency in Uttar Pradesh’s Mau district cast their votes in the polling held on Tuesday. Ghosi had recorded a polling percentage of 58.59 in the last year’s assembly elections.
-Security Tightened in Bengal’s Dhupguri
Security has been tightened as counting for the Dhupguri Assembly by-polls starts.
#WATCH | Jalpaiguri, West Bengal: Security tightened as the counting for the Dhupguri Assembly by-polls to begin shortly.(Visuals from Netaji Subhas Open University) pic.twitter.com/g9GPdtxPOK
— ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2023
-UP’s Ghosi
In Uttar Pradesh, the Ghosi seat fell vacant after the resignation of Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA and OBC leader Dara Singh Chauhan, who rejoined the BJP.
-Bageshwar in Uttarakhand
For the Bageshwar assembly bypoll in Uttarakhand, the counting will be done at 14 tables with 130 polling personnel on the job, District Magistrate Anuradha Pal said on Thursday.
The Bageshwar seat fell vacant after the death of its MLA and cabinet minister Chandan Ram Das in April this year. He had won the seat four times since 2007.
-Jharkhand’s Dumri
In Jharkhand, INDIA bloc and NDA candidates are keeping their fingers crossed ahead of the counting to Dumri assembly bypolls. The counting centre has been set up at Krishi Bazar Samiti, Pachambha, in Giridih district, an election official said.
“In all, 24 rounds of counting will be held and over 70 officials have been deployed for the exercise," Giridih Deputy Commissioner-cum-Election Officer Naman Priesh Lakra told PTI.
“Central Armed Police Force and various wings of Jharkhand police have been deployed to ensure free and fair counting," he said.
Around 65 per cent of 2.98 lakh voters had exercised their franchise.
-Boxanagar & Dhanpur in Tripura
In Tripura, the ECI has taken necessary steps to conduct the counting in a transparent way, a senior poll official said on Thursday.
Counting of votes to both the seats - Boxanagar and Dhanpur — will take place at Sonamura Girls’ HS School. “There is tight security at the counting centre,” Sepahijala district magistrate Vishal Kumar told PTI.
BJP’s Tafajjal Hussain, who unsuccessfully contested the last assembly election from Boxanagar, is contesting against CPI(M) nominee Mizan Hussain from there.
On Wednesday, the CPI(M) announced to boycott the counting alleging largescale rigging in the two constituencies during voting.
-Dhupguri in West Bengal
In West Bengal’s Dhupguri, personnel of the central armed police forces and state police are guarding the strong room on the second campus of North Bengal University in Jalpaiguri, an official said.
Around 76 per cent of 2.6 lakh eligible voters exercised their franchise in the by-election.
#WATCH | Jalpaiguri, West Bengal: Security tightened as the counting for the Dhupguri Assembly by-polls to begin shortly. (Visuals from Netaji Subhas Open University) pic.twitter.com/g9GPdtxPOK
— ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2023
CPI(M)’s Ishwar Chandra Roy is contesting as the candidate of the Congress-Left alliance, while the ruling TMC has fielded Nirmal Chandra Roy, a teacher by profession.
The BJP has nominated Tapasi Roy, the widow of a CRPF jawan who died fighting terrorists in Kashmir a few years back.
The bypoll to the seat was necessitated due to the death of sitting BJP MLA Bishu Pada Ray earlier this year.
Dhupguri, a scheduled caste-reserved seat, has nearly 50 per cent Rajbanshi people and 15 per cent minority population.
-Puthupully in Kerala
Kerala is also anxiously waiting for the result of the Puthuppally bypoll which saw an intense battle between the UDF and LDF to fill the seat left vacant by the demise of Congress stalwart Oommen Chandy.
The constituency, located in the southern Kottayam district, witnessed a war of words for the past few weeks as the September 5 by-election was a prestigious battle for both the ruling and opposition fronts in the state.
According to Election Commission sources, the counting of votes would begin by 8.00 am at the special counting station in the Baselius College. Postal and service ballots would be counted first, they said.
The total number of booths in Puthuppally was 182, and the counting of votes in the electronic voting machines would be conducted in 13 rounds.
