New Delhi:
The by-elections are being held in four constituencies of Delhi, Goa and Andhra Pradesh. The voting began at 8 AM on all four constituencies. The Goa bypolls are seen as a litmus test for Goa CM Manohar Parrikar who is facing Congress' Girish Chodankar in a neck to neck contest from Panaji while on Valpoi seat, BJP has fielded Congress rebel Vishwajeet Rane.
On the other hand, bypoll in Delhi's Bawana seat is seen as an election of prestige for Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party which is fighting a triangular battle with BJP and Congress. And the fourth, Nandyal constituency of Andhra Pradesh is also a high stake battle between TDP and YSR Congress.
Live updates:
# 5:15 PM
Goa assembly bypolls: 62.25% votes cast in Panaji, 69.05% in Valpoi till 4 PM.
Goa assembly bypolls: 62.25% votes cast in Panaji, 69.05% in Valpoi till 4 PM.
— ANI (@ANI) August 23, 2017
# 3:15 PM
35.44% voting in Delhi's Bawana constituency till 3 PM
Delhi: 35.44% voting till 3pm in #BawanaByPoll
— ANI (@ANI) August 23, 2017
# 2:12 PM
Bawana ByPoll: 27.5% polling reported till 1 pm
# 1:44 PM
Delhi: 24.39% polling recorded till 1 PM in Bawana assembly by-poll
# 1:16 PM
34.65% polling recorded in Panaji and 40.02% recorded in Valpoi till 12 noon
# 10:34 AM
Andhra Pradesh: Polling percentage recorded in Nandyal By-poll is 17% till 9 am.
# 9:14 AM
Bawana byPoll: Glitches in EVM machines at two polling booths affected polling for a while. Voting has now resumed Delhi
# 8:30 AM
Delhi: People arrive at polling booths to vote in Bawana assembly by-election; voting underway
#Delhi: People arrive at polling booths to vote in #Bawana assembly by-election; voting underway. pic.twitter.com/4hhvNyuBXa
— ANI (@ANI) August 23, 2017
# 8:30 AM
Andhra Pradesh: People wait in queue to vote in cast their vote in Nandyal assembly by-polls
#AndhraPradesh People wait in queue to cast their vote in Nandyal assembly by-polls pic.twitter.com/3iuWZS8Yzg
— ANI (@ANI) August 23, 2017
# 8:24 AM
No projections but it will be substantial: Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar (contesting from Panaji seat) after casting his vote
# 8:20 AM
Andhra Pradesh YSR Congress party candidate Shilpa Mohan Reddy casts his vote in Nandyal constituency by-polls
#AndhraPradesh YSR Congress party candidate Shilpa Mohan Reddy after casting his vote in Nandyal constituency by-polls. pic.twitter.com/6hHtRLrXR8
— ANI (@ANI) August 23, 2017
# 8:20 AM
Panaji: Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar casts his vote in assembly bypoll
#Panaji: #Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar casts his vote in assembly bypoll. pic.twitter.com/dk6VITtHJE
— ANI (@ANI) August 23, 2017
# 8:00 AM
Panaji: Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar waits in queue to cast his vote in assembly bypoll
#Panaji: #Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar waits in queue to cast his vote in assembly bypoll. pic.twitter.com/G7yNO9JCBa
— ANI (@ANI) August 23, 2017
# 7:50 AM
Assembly bypolls for Panaji and Valpoi seats in Goa to be held today; voting to begin shortly
Assembly bypolls for Panaji and Valpoi seats in #Goa to be held today: Voting to begin shortly; visuals from Panaji. pic.twitter.com/3qu1KiCqLd
— ANI (@ANI) August 23, 2017
# 7:46 AM
By-elections for four assembly seats to be held in Bawana in Delhi, Nandyal in Andhra Pradesh, and Valpoi and Panaji in Goa.
Battle for Bawana
Voting began this morning for the Bawana Assembly constituency by-election in Delhi, in which the BJP, the AAP and the Congress are locked in a triangular contest.
Over 2.94 lakh electors are eligible to exercise their franchise in the bypoll in which EVMs equipped with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) are being used at all polling stations.
The voting began at 8 am, officials said.
The Assembly seat that falls in the north-west Delhi area is reserved for the SC category.
Eight candidates are in the fray in the election that is being carried out through 379 polling stations. The counting will take place on August 28.
All three major parties are eyeing a victory in the bypoll, being seen as the barometer of their political influence.
Nandyal by-poll: Stakes high for TDP, YSRC
When 2.19 lakh voters of Nandyal Assembly constituency in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh exercise their franchise in the by-election on Wednesday, they will be virtually setting the trend for the general elections due in May 2019.
If the ruling Telugu Desam Party loses, it will be seen as an “anti-establishment†vote. If it wins, the opposition YSR Congress will take it as a harbinger for its race for power in 2019.
The outcome will surely alter the political equations in the state with speculation rife that defections will start once again, depending on the winner.
The BJP, though on TDP’s side now, is said to be keenly watching Nandyal to fine-tune its strategy for 2019.
The bypoll is necessitated by the death of sitting MLA Bhuma Nagi Reddy, who won the seat by a margin of 3,600 votes as YSRC candidate in 2014 but switched over to the TDP in February 2016.
The TDP has fielded Reddy’s nephew Brahmananda Reddy while the YSRC put up former minister Silpa Chandra Mohan Reddy, who lost the seat as TDP nominee in 2014.
Polling for Panaji and Valpoi seats
The Assembly bypolls for Panaji and Valpoi seats in Goa will be held on Wednesday.
In the Panaji contest, Chief Minister and BJP stalwart Manohar Parrikar is in the fray against Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s confidante Girish Chodankar.
In Valpoi, the BJP has fielded Congress rebel and Health Minister Vishwajeet Rane, whose main opponent is Roy Naik, the son of former state Home minister Ravi Naik, of the Congress.
Panaji has been a bastion for BJP since 1994.
The polling, to be held at 76 booths including 30 in Panaji and 46 in Valpoi, will take place between 8 am to 5 pm.
As per the Election Commission data, 51,032 voters are eligible to cast their votes in the bypolls, including 22,203 in Panaji and 28,829 in Valpoi.
The Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines would be used tomorrow like it was done in the Assembly polls held in February this year.
With PTI inputs
