The counting of votes for Araria Lok Sabha seat and two Assembly seats of Jehanabad and Bhabua is underway. While Araria recorded 57 per cent voter turnout, Bhabua and Jehanabad Assembly constituencies recorded 54.03 per cent and 50.06 per cent voting in March 11 elections.
Bypoll in Araria Lok Sabha constituency is being considered as a test for the ruling Janata Dal-United-BJP combine in Bihar as well as the opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal-Congress alliance.
In Araria, the contest was mainly between Rashtriya Janta Dal's (RJD) Sarafaraz Alam, Taslimuddin's son, and BJP's Pradip Singh who had won the seat in 2009 and finished runner-up in 2014.
HERE ARE THE LIVE UPDATES:
08:35 am: Araria Lok Sabha bypoll early trends: Rashtriya Janata Dal candidate ahead in Araria.
08:00 am: Counting of votes for Araria, Bhabua and Jehanabad seats begins.
07:50 am: The bye-elections were the first electoral test for Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who walked out of the Grand Alliance last year and joined hands with the BJP to form the government.
07:45 am: The bypoll in Araria Lok Sabha seat was necessitated after the death of RJD MP Mohammad Taslimuddin.
07:30 am: The Jehanabad Assembly seat was vacant after the death of RJD legislator Mundrika Yadav.
