Nagaland maintained its lead in voter turnout during the ongoing Assembly bypolls, with participation remaining highest by late morning, while Tripura held on to second place with strong polling figures as of 11 am.
As per official data from the Election Commission of India at 11 am, the Koridang constituency in Nagaland recorded a significant 41.06 per cent voter turnout, the highest among all four seats. Tripura’s Dharmanagar seat was not far behind, posting a solid 33.51 per cent turnout.
Bagalkot leads in turnout; Davanagere South gains momentum
Meanwhile, Karnataka began witnessing a noticeable surge in voter participation compared to early morning trends. Bagalkot emerged as the leading constituency in the state with 27.83 per cent turnout, while Davanagere South also improved considerably, reaching 22.01 per cent by late morning.
According to ECI data at 9 am, Koridang (28) in Nagaland recorded a strong 19.80 per cent turnout. Dharmanagar (56) in Tripura followed with 15.63 per cent, placing second in early trends. In Karnataka, turnout was comparatively moderate, with Bagalkot (24) at 11.87 per cent and Davanagere South (107) at 9.01 per cent.
Voting for by-elections in Davanagere South and Bagalkot constituencies in Karnataka, Koridang constituency in Nagaland, and Dharmanagar constituency in Tripura began at 7 am.
Congress fields Umesh Meti, Samarth Mallikarjun in Karnataka bypolls
In Karnataka, the Congress has fielded Umesh Meti from the Bagalkot constituency and Samarth Mallikarjun as its candidate for the Davanagere South by-election. Umesh Meti is the son of late Congress leader Meti Hullappa Yamanappa (H.Y. Meti), who represented the Bagalkot seat, while Samarth Mallikarjun is the son of Karnataka minister S.S. Mallikarjun.
The BJP has fielded Veerabhadrayya Charantimath and Srinivas T. Dasakariyappa from Bagalkot and Davanagere South Assembly constituencies, respectively.
The Bagalkot seat fell vacant following the death of H.Y. Meti, while Davanagere South fell vacant after the demise of Shamanur Shivashankarappa.
Congress-BJP face-off in Nagaland’s Koridang bypoll
In Nagaland, Congress candidate T. Chalukumba Ao is pitted against Daochier I. Imchen, son of veteran BJP leader Imkong L. Imchen, for the Koridang seat by-election.
T. Chalukumba Ao had contested the 2023 Nagaland Assembly elections on a Janata Dal (United) ticket. BJP State Council member Imchainba Jamir had withdrawn his candidature in favour of Imchen.
The Koridang (ST) seat in Nagaland became vacant following the death of Imkong L. Imchen.
In Tripura, the BJP has fielded Jahar Chakraborti as its candidate for the Dharmanagar seat against Congress’s Chayan Bhattacharjee. Amitabha Datta of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) is also in the fray.
The seat fell vacant following the demise of Tripura Speaker and four-time MLA Biswa Bandhu Sen.
The vacant Assembly constituency in Goa was also scheduled to go to the polls today; however, the Bombay High Court cancelled the Ponda by-election.
The results of the by-elections will be announced on May 4.
The ECI had earlier announced the schedule for by-elections across eight Assembly constituencies in six states. Polling for bypolls in Umreth (Gujarat), Rahuri and Baramati (Maharashtra) will take place on April 23, with the counting of votes scheduled for May 4.
(With ANI inputs)
