The counting of votes will take place on November 6.
Voting was held today in the by-election to seven assembly constituencies in six states - a contest symbolic of the fierce turf war between the BJP and regional parties.
Polling was in Mokama and Gopalganj assembly constituencies of Bihar, Andheri (East) of Maharashtra, Adampur of Haryana, Munugode of Telangana, Gola Gorakhnath of Uttar Pradesh, and Dhamnagar of Odisha.
Here are the Highlights on the bypolls:
Andheri East Assembly bypoll: Nearly 17% voter turnout recorded till 1 pm
A voter turnout of 16.89 per cent was recorded in the Andheri East Assembly byelection in Mumbai till 1 pm on Thursday, an official said.
Polling for the byelection, which started at 7 am, will continue till 6 pm. The process is underway at 256 polling booths in the constituency.
38.75% Turnout At Dhamnagar Till 1 PM, 2 Injured In Clash
A total 38.75 per cent voters cast their votes in the Dhamnagar assembly by-poll till 1 pm on Thursday, an Election Commission official said.
Despite the strict security for the day, there were reports of clashes between BJD and BJP workers in polling booths 169 and 170 at Rameswarpur in the constituency while voting was on and two persons were injured.
The local police said the clash occurred when workers of one party tried to put up posters inside the prohibited 100 m distance from the polling booth and were resisted by supporters of the other party.
A case was registered at the local police station on the basis of allegations of the two sides and the injured were taken to a nearby hospital, the police said.
31.90% Voter Turnout Recorded Till 11 AM In Bihar Bypoll
A voter turnout of 31.90 per cent was recorded till 1 pm in Mokama and Gopalganj assembly constituencies in Bihar where polling was underway for by-elections on Thursday, officials said.
While Mokama recorded 34.26 per cent voter turnout, Gopalganj saw 29.90 per cent turnout till 1 pm, they said.
The bypolls to the two seats are the first election in the state after the formation of the 'Mahagthabandhan' government around three months back. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the de-facto leader of the JD(U), dumped the BJP and formed a new coalition government with the RJD, Congress and Left parties in early August.
The polling began at 7 am, and will continue till 6 pm, election officials said.
Over 25% Polling In Munugode Till 11 AM
Over 25 per cent polling was reported till 11 AM in the by-poll to the Munugode Assembly constituency in Telangana on Thursday.
The polling had been peaceful with no major law and order issue being reported.
Officials rectified technical issues in EVMs at a couple of places.
Adampur Bypoll: 22.51 Per Cent Votes Polled Till 11 AM
A poll percentage of 22.51 was recorded in the first four hours after polling began in Haryana's Adampur Assembly segment where bypolls are underway on Thursday.
The outcome of the bypoll will decide if the Bhajan Lal family will retain the family bastion of five decades.
Polling began at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm. Nearly 1.71 lakh voters are eligible to cast their votes. Counting of votes will be taken up on November 6.
A poll percentage of 22.51 was recorded as of 11 am, according to Election Commission of India data.
22.36 Per Cent Votes Cast Till 11 AM In Dhamnagar
A total 22.36 per cent votes were cast till 11 am in the by-poll being held in Dhamnagar assembly seat on Thursday, an EC official said.
Election in the rural constituency is being held under tight security and long queues were seen in front of the polling stations even before voting began at 7 am.
"Voting is underway in all the 252 polling stations of the constituencies," he said. A 110 booths have been declared as sensitive and there will be webcasting in 126 booths. Some initial EVM glitches were reported and were immediately solved, he said.
24.17% Voter Turnout In Bihar Bypolls Till 11 AM
A voter turnout of 24.17 per cent was recorded till 11 am in Mokama and Gopalganj assembly constituencies in Bihar where polling was underway for by-elections on Thursday, officials said.
While Mokama recorded 27.30 per cent voter turnout, Gopalganj saw 21.76 per cent turnout till 11 am, they said.
Long queues were seen outside many booths as people turned up early to exercise their franchise, officials said.
The bypolls to the two seats are the first election in the state after the formation of the 'Mahagthabandhan' government around three months back. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the de-facto leader of the JD(U), dumped the BJP and formed a new coalition government with the RJD, Congress and Left parties in early August.
Over 23 Per Cent Votes Polled Till 11 AM, Samajwadi Party Alleges Booth Capture By BJP
An average voter turnout of over 23 per cent has been recorded in the first two hours of polling in the Gola Gokarannath constituency of Uttar Pradesh where bypolls are underway on Thursday.
While a senior official said voting was going on peacefully, the Samajwadi Party (SP) alleged that some polling centres have been captured by workers of the ruling BJP.
"Polling centres in Lalahapur, Madanpur and Lakshmanjati in Gola Gokarannath assembly have been captured by BJP workers. SP voters, booth in-charges and agents have been driven away. The Election Commission should take cognisance of this and ensure fair polls," the SP tweeted in Hindi.
The senior official said, "Polling is going on peacefully. In the initial four hours, 23.56 per cent votes were polled." Over 3.90 lakh voters are eligible to decide the fate of seven contestants in the fray. Polling started at 7 am and will end at 6 pm.
10.25 Per Cent Polling In First 2 Hours In Dhamnagar Bypoll
An average 10.25 per cent votes cast in the first two hours of polling in Odisha's Dhamnagar assembly constituency, where the by-election exercise began at 7 am on Thursday, an EC official said.
Long queues were seen in front of the polling stations even before the voting started.
The voting process, which is being held under tight security, will continue till 6 PM.
"An average 10,25 per cent polling was witnessed in the by-poll for Dhamnagar assembly segment in the first two hours from 7 am. Voting is underway in all the 252 polling stations," an Election Commission official said.
Gokarannath Bypoll: Over 10 Per Cent Votes Polled In First Two Hours
An average voter turnout of over 10 per cent has been recorded in the first two hours of polling in Gola Gokarannath constituency of Uttar Pradesh where bypolls are underway on Thursday.
"The polling is going on peacefully. In the initial two hours, over 10 per cent votes were polled", a senior official said here.
Over 3.90 lakh voters are eligible to decide the fate of seven contestants in the fray.
The polling started at 7 am and will end at 6 pm.
The bypoll was necessitated due to the death of BJP MLA Arvind Giri on September 6.
Voting Begins For Andheri (East) Assembly By-Election
Polling started for by-election to the Andheri East Assembly constituency here at 7 am on Thursday.
This is the first Assembly election in Maharashtra after the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government collapsed in June following a revolt by Shiv Sena MLAs led by Eknath Shinde.
Shinde subsequently became chief minister in alliance with the BJP.
Rutuja Latke, the candidate of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, is expected to win comfortably in the by-election after the BJP withdrew its nominee.
Telangana's Munugode Bypoll Will Be Most-watched: Chief Electoral OfficerIn exclusive chat with NDTV, Telangana's Chief Electoral Officer Vikas Raj says they have made special arrangements in Munugode that will make it the most-watched election ever, with CCTVs deployed around the constituency and also webcasting from every poll booth, monitored at the district, state and central levels.
Election Commission To Announce Gujarat Poll Schedule Today
The Election Commission will announce the schedule for the Gujarat assembly polls at 12 noon on Thursday.
The poll panel has convened a press conference to announce the schedule.
The term of Gujarat assembly ends on February 18 next year.
Telangana BJP President Bandi Sanjay Detained
Telangana BJP president Bandi Sanjay staged a protest demanding that non-locals and TRS leaders should be sent out of the Munugodu constituency, where the bypolls are being conducted today.
Mr Sanjay, who was on the way to Munugode as Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leaders were not leaving the by-polls constituency in Munugodu, was stopped by the police on the Vijaywada Highway in Abdullapurmet on Wednesday night.
Initially, police stopped Bandi Sanjay's convoy at Malakpet then at Vanasthalipuram and finally, he was shifted to Abdullapurmet Police Station.
Polling Underway In Telangana's Munugode
Polling was underway amid tight security in the bypoll to Munugode Assembly constituency in Telangana on Thursday. Voting began at 7 am and will continue till 6 am.
Over 2.41 lakh voters are eligible to cast their votes in the bypoll.
Polling Begins For Adampur Bypoll In Haryana
Polling began on Thursday for bypolls in Haryana's Adampur assembly constituency, whose outcome will decide if the Bhajan Lal family holds on to its bastion of five decades.
Polling began at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm. Nearly 1.71 lakh voters are eligible to cast vote. Counting of votes will be taken up on November 6.
Twenty-two candidates, all men, are in the fray. The main parties contesting are the BJP, Congress, Indian National Lok Dal, and the Aam Aadmi Party.
Polling Begins For Dhamnagar By-Election In Odisha
Polling began on Thursday morning for by-election to the Dhamnagar assembly constituency in Odisha amid tight security, officials said.
The voting began in all the 252 polling stations of the constituency in Bhadrak district at 7 am, and will continue till 6 pm, they said.
A total of 2.38 lakh voters -- 1.23 lakh males and 1.15 lakh females -- are eligible to exercise their franchise in this election.
Polling Begins For Mokama, Gopalganj By-Elections In Bihar
Polling began on Thursday morning for by-elections to the Mokama and Gopalganj assembly constituencies in Bihar under tight security, officials said.
The by-polls to the two seats are the first election in the state after the formation of the 'Mahagthabandhan' government around three months back. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the de-facto leader of the JD(U), dumped the BJP and formed a new coalition government with the RJD, Congress and Left parties in early August.
The polling began at 7 am, and will continue till 6 pm, election officials said.