New Delhi: Over 55 per cent voters on Thursday
exercised their franchise for by-polls to 20 assembly seats
spread over seven states which passed off peacefully barring
boycott at a few places in Bihar.
Seven assembly constituencies each in Bihar and
Gujarat, two seats in Madhya Pradesh and one each in Andhra
Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand and Delhi (Dwarka) went to the
polls, the second major test of popularity for parties after
the Lok Sabha elections. Honours were even in the first round
of by-elections for 17 seats held last month.
While the Tekkali seat in Andhra Pradesh saw the
highest turnout of 76 per cent, about 67 per cent voted in
Namchi Singithong (Sikkim) and 62 per cent in Gujarat, where
the results are unlikely to alter the ruling BJP's position in
the assembly as it enjoys an absolute majority.
In Bihar, Chainpur recorded a turnout of around 51 per
cent followed by 49 per cent in Ramgarh, 45 in Kalyanpur, 44
in Warisnagar and 40 per cent in Chanari. Naxal-hit Aurai had
the lowest turnout of 31 per cent. Poll boycott was reported
from seven polling centres in Aurai, Ramgarh and Chenari.
Nearly 55 per cent polling was recorded in Vikasnagar
assembly by-election in Uttarakhand, while there was 47 per
cent polling in Delhi's Dwarka constituency.
In Madhya Pradesh, nearly 50-55 per cent polling was
recorded in Gohad reserve seat (in Bhind district) while 35-40
per cent voters turned out in Tendukheda (in Narsinghpur).
Counting of votes will be taken up on September 14.
The by-polls in Gujarat are however, a test for Chief
Minister Narendra Modi in the backdrop of BJP's trouble over
the Gujarat High Court lifting the state's ban on Jaswant
Singh's book on Muhammad Ali Jinnah and a probe saying the
controversial Ishrat Jahan encounter was fake and executed in
"cold blood" by the police.
The BJP's campaign in the state remained a low key
affair with Modi staying away from canvassing.
Of the seven seats in Gujarat, six were held by
Congress while Kodinar seat was with the BJP. Except Chotila
and Sami, by-elections in other five seats were necessitated
following the election of their MLAs as MPs.
In Chotila, BJP's sitting MLA Popat Jinjaria, died a
few months back, necessitating the by-poll while Sami MLA
Bhavsinh Rathod had resigned from the Congress to contest the
Lok Sabha polls, which he lost.
Non-Congress governments are in power in the
poll-bound states except in Delhi and Andhra Prdaesh.
In Bihar, ruling JD-U contested from Bochaha,
Kalyanpur, Chenari and Aurai and its ally BJP nominees were in
fray from Chainpur, Ramgarh and Warisnagar seats.
In alliance with LJP, RJD fielded its candidates in
Bochaha, Kalyanpuri, Chenari, Aurai, Chainpur and Ramgarh,
while its junior partner put up candidates from the lone seat
of Warisnagar. Congress contested the elections on its own in
all the seven seats.
The by-polls in Madhya Pradesh were necessitated due
to the murder of Gohad MLA Makhanlal Jatav during Lok Sabha
poll campaign while in Tendukheda it was held as Rao Uday
Pratap Singh got elected as MP from Hoshangabad.
Bureau Report
First Published: Friday, September 11, 2009, 00:08