Assembly Bypolls in Rajasthan, West Bengal: Voting begins for the seats
Polling for the Lok Sabha seats of Alwar and Ajmer in Rajasthan and Uluberia in West Bengal, and bypoll to assembly seat of Mandalgarh in Rajasthan and Noapara in West Bengal has begun. Over 38 lakh voters would decide the fate of 41 candidates for the Lok Sabha seats of Ajmer and Alwar, and the Assembly seat of Mandalgarh. In a first, EVM machines with photos of candidates on them would be used for polling, which would take place from 8am to 6pm. Eleven candidates in Alwar, 23 in Ajmer and eight candidates in Mandalgarh are in the fray. Bypolls in West Bengal are also being held, with voting in Uluberia Lok Sabha constituency and Noapara assembly seat amid tight security.
Here are the highlights of the By-Election in Rajasthan and West Bengal :
Rajasthan by-polls: Over 37 per cent voters exercised their franchise till noon, says news agency PTI
According to a PTI report, the Ajmer and Alwar Lok Sabha constituencies and the Mandalgarh Assembly seat in Rajasthan witnessed over 37 per cent of voters exercising their franchise.
The Alwar Lok Sabha by-poll recorded 37.16 per cent voting while the Ajmer Lok Sabha by-poll recorded 36.54 per cent voting. The Mandalgarh Assembly constitution registered 45.08 per cent voting.
There are 11 candidates in Alwar, 23 in Ajmer and eight candidates contesting the by-polls in Mandalgarh.
Voting in West Bengal: Uluberia and Noapara registered 15 per cent and 17.5 per cent polling respectively in the first two hours.
Both the seats are likely to witness a direct contest between the ruling Trinamool Congress and the BJP, even as the CPI(M) is trying hard to hold its ground in its erstwhile bastions.
Voting in Rajasthan: An average voting turnout of 5.35 per cent was recorded in the first two hours of voting.
Alwar recorded 5.42 per cent voter turnout and Ajmer recorded 5.25 per cent voting while the voter turnout in Mandalgarh Assembly constituency was 6.42 per cent, according to the office of the chief electoral officer.
Former Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Jitendra Singh cast his vote at a voting center in Alwar's Moti Dungri.
In Ajmer, 6,000 security personnel have been sent to ensure smooth polling. 5,000 security personnel have been sent to Alwar.
Voting for Ajmer Lok Sabha seat by-poll begins; BJP's Bhupender Yadav casts his vote at a voting centre in Kundan Nagar
Voting for Alwar Lok Sabha seat by-poll begins; Visuals from a polling booth in Subhash Nagar.
Voting for Uluberia Lok Sabha seat by-poll: Voting had temporarily stopped at Booth no. 231 after the voting machine had stopped functioning.
People voting for Uluberia Lok Sabha seat in West Bengal.
