By-polls: High voter turnout in all six states as well as Puducherry

The bypolls have assumed more significance as the first major ground test for the Bharatiya Janata Party after the government`s demonetisation of high-value notes.

New Delhi: People on Saturday came out in large numbers to vote in the by-elections held in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Tripura, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh.

The election was held in four Lok Sabha constituencies and eight Assembly constituencies in Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and Tripura.

The bypolls have assumed more significance as the first major test for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after the government's demonetisation scheme.

Here are the updates:

• More than 80 percent of the voters exercised their franchise till evening in by-polls for two Lok Sabha constituencies and one assembly seat in West Bengal on Saturday.
• Around 36 percent votes were cast till 11 am in the by-poll to two Lok Sabha and one Assembly seats in West Bengal today. An Election Commission official said, "Around 36 percent polling has been recorded. The polling has been peaceful. There has been no untoward incident."
• The state's principal political parties -- the ruling Trinamool Congress, the Congress, the Left Front and the BJP -- are in the fray for all three seats.
• An electorate of nearly 3,524,977, including 1,689,735 females and 38 from the third gender, are eligible to choose their representatives from among 23 candidates vying for honours in Cooch Behar (Reserved-Scheduled Castes) and Tamluk parliamentary constituencies and Monteshwar Assembly seat.
• Polling began for by-elections to two Lok Sabha and one Assembly seats in West Bengal at 7 am today.

• While Thirupparankundram saw around 85 per cent polling, Aravakkurichi saw a turnout of around 81 per cent.
• According to Election Commission officials polling came to an end at 5 p.m. in all the four constituencies.
• In the lone Nellithope constituency in Puducherry, the polling percentage was around 76 percent.
• According to Election Commission officials at 3 pm, Thirupparankundram saw 62 percent polling while Thanjavur and Aravakkurichi saw around 60 percent and 73 percent respectively.
• Nellithope in Puducherry registered 61 percent polling till 1 pm.
• Polling crossed 50 percent in all three constituencies in Tamil Nadu by 1 pm in a peaceful atmosphere amid tight security, with Aravakkurichi topping the list with 61.98 percent.
  52.29 percent polling was recorded in Thirupparankundram. Thanjavur witnessed 50.05 percent, poll officials said and hoped that the turnout would go up substantially.
• In Puducherry's Nellithope, Congress leader V Narayanasamy is contesting against AIADMK nominee Om Shakthi Segar.
• In Thanjavur, the AIADMK's M Rengasamy is pitted against the DMK's Anjugam Bhoopathy.
• In Aravakkurichi, ruling AIADMK's V Senthil Balaji will fight it out against the DMK's KC Palanisamy while at Thirupparankundram the AIADMK's AK Bose will take on the DMK's P Saravanan.
• The polling for three Tamil Nadu Assembly constituencies -- Thirupparankundram, Aravakkurichi and Thanjavur -- and the lone Nellithope constituency in Puducherry began at 7 am today.

• An estimated 41 percent voting was recorded till 1 pm in the by-elections to Shahdol Lok Sabha constituency, while the turnout was 53.28 percent in Nepanagar Assembly seat in Madhya Pradesh.
• The Shahdol bypoll was necessitated due to death of BJP MP Dalpat Singh Paraste.
• By-elections to Shahdol Lok Sabha constituency and Nepanagar Assembly seats in Madhya Pradesh are taking place today.

• The polling, which began at 7 am, was peaceful without any incident of violence reported, Deputy Chief Electoral Officer D J Bhattacharjee said.
• An estimated 72 per cent electorate exercised their franchise on Saturday in the by-election to Hayuliang constituency in Arunachal Pradesh.
• At 3 pm, voters turnout was recorded to be 50.20 percent: ANI
• North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) candidate Dasanglu Pul is contesting on the BJP ticket. Notably, Dasanglu Pul is the wife of former chief minister Kalikho Pul, who committed suicide in August under mysterious conditions.
• By-elections to Hayuliang Assembly constituency in remote Anjaw district of Arunachal Pradesh are taking place today.

• An estimated 61 percent of the electorate exercised their franchise today for by-elections to Lakhimpur Parliamentary constituency and Baithalangso Assembly seat in Assam.
• An estimated 30 percent electorate exercised their franchise till noon today for by-elections to Lakhimpur parliamentary constituency and 25 percent for Baithalangso (ST) in Assam.
• Polling began at 7 am and will end at 4 pm.
• Lakhimpur Lok Sabha constituency and Baithalanso Assembly constituency in Assam go for by-elections to decide the electoral fate of eight contestants.

• Over 90 per cent of the 78,400 electorate cast their votes on Saturday in by-elections to two assembly constituencies in Left ruled Tripura, officials said.
• According to political observers, the electoral battle will be among three forces - TMC, BJP and CPI (M).
• In Tripura, by-elections are being held in the Assembly constituencies of Khowai and Barjala.