New Delhi: The results for bypolls to seven assembly seats that went to polls earlier this week will be declared on Friday. The seven seats that went to polls are Bageshwar in Uttarakhand, Ghosi in Uttar Pradesh, Puthuppally in Kerala, Dhupguri in West Bengal, Dumri in Jharkhand, and Boxanagar and Dhanpur in Tripura.
The counting of votes is scheduled to begin at 8 am at centres set up in the respective states, reported PTI.
In Ghosi and Dumri, the opposition parties had put a joint candidate as part of the newly-formed alliance, INDIA. The bypoll results will be keenly watched as the opposition's strength will be tested against the BJP-led NDA ahead of the assembly elections in five states later this year and Lok Sabha elections in 2024.
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), according to the agency.
The Ghosi seat in Uttar Pradesh fell vacant after the resignation of Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA and OBC leader Dara Singh Chauhan, who rejoined the BJP.
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.
In Jharkhand, the counting centre for Dumri assembly bypolls 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 added.
Around 65 per cent of 2.98 lakh voters had exercised their franchise.
In Tripura, the ECI has taken necessary steps to conduct the counting in a transparent way, a senior poll official said.
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 fielded Tafajjal Hussain against CPI(M) nominee Mizan Hussain from there.
On Wednesday, the CPI(M) said that it will boycott the counting alleging largescale rigging in the two constituencies during voting.
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.
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. Roy had come to Kolkata to participate in the monsoon session of the Assembly. He was admitted to a city hospital after he complained of the chest pain. He died soon after being admitted to the hospital.
Kerala Puthuppally witnessed an intense between the UDF and LDF to fill the seat left vacant by the demise of Congress stalwart Oommen Chandy.
According to PTI, 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, Election Commission officials said.