Polling underway in Kairana
Polling to four Lok Sabha seats, including the politically-crucial Kairana in Uttar Pradesh, in currently underway, and will conclude at 6 pm.
The by-elections for four Lok Sabha seats in three states – Kairana (Uttar Pradesh), Palghar (Maharashtra), Bhandara-Gondiya (Maharashtra) and Nagaland are will go to polls today. The counting of votes will be held on May 31.
Even as the results from Monday's polling cannot be deemed as an indicator for 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the political pundits will be watching it closely.
The Kairana bypoll will see a joint opposition taking on the ruling BJP. The constituency fell vacant after the death of BJP MP Hukum Singh, whose daughter Mriganka Singh is now the party's candidate for the bypoll. She is fighting Rashtriya Lok Dal's (RLD) Tabassum Hasan, who is supported by the Congress, Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party.
Here are the LIVE updates:
09:00 am:
Voting for #Kairana Lok Sabha by-poll underway; Visuals from a polling booth in Shamli pic.twitter.com/llxd62paO0
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) May 28, 2018
08:28 am:
#KairanaByPoll Voting stalled at Public Inter College, Kairana due to faulty VVPAT
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) May 28, 2018
08:19 am: In Palghar, the bypoll was necessitated following the death of BJP's Chintaman Wanaga. The BJP's bickering ally Shiv Sena has fielded the late MP's son Srinivas in a bid to garner the sympathy vote. The BJP has put up former Congress minister Rajendra Gavit. The Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA) led by Vasai-Virar strongman Hitendra Thakur is also in the fray with the nomination of its ex-MP Baliram Jadhav.
07:44 am:
#PalgharLoksabhabyelection: People outside a polling booth in Palghar pic.twitter.com/sdbOYadeHj
— ANI (@ANI) May 28, 2018
07:20 am:
Voting for #Kairana Lok Sabha by-poll underway; Visuals from polling booth number 29 in Shamli pic.twitter.com/xxuioIEUV3
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) May 28, 2018
07:02 am:
Maharashtra: Visuals from Booth Number 154-159 in Vasai, voting for #PalgharLokSabhaByElection to begin shortly. pic.twitter.com/MFPiJguYrS
— ANI (@ANI) May 28, 2018
06:45 am:
Voting for #KairanaByPoll to begin at 7 am. Visuals from Shamli's Booth Number 29, Rashtriya Kisan Inter college. pic.twitter.com/NAGlMdyBh5
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) May 28, 2018
06:42 am: All four major parties in Maharashtra -- the Congress, BJP , Shiv Sena and the NCP -- have pulled out all stops for the Lok Sabha bypolls as the outcome is likely to have a bearing on their future course. The Shiv Sena has fielded late BJP MP Chintaman Wanaga's son Shriniwas Wanaga in Palghar, much to the dislike of the BJP which has in-turn nominated Congress deserter Rajendra Gavit.
06:41 am: The opposition hopes that by consolidating anti-BJP votes in Kairana, they will repeat the success of the Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha by-elections, where the ruling party suffered an unexpected defeat.
The ruling BJP, on the other hand, is making extra efforts to retain the seat to try and send a strong message to voters, party cadres as well as the opposition parties -- that the drubbing in the Gorakhpur and Phulpur bye-elections was an aberration, and that it was still strong in western UP.
06:30 am:
#TopStory: By-polls to 10 Assembly constituencies and 4 Lok Sabha seats across 10 states to take place today. Voting for Lok Sabha by-polls to be held in Kairana (UP), Palghar & Bhandara-Gondiya (Maharashtra) and Nagaland Lok Sabha constituency. (file pic) pic.twitter.com/OKo9wxDntr
— ANI (@ANI) May 28, 2018