The counting of votes for Assembly by-elections across five Indian states is underway, with the Election Commission of India (ECI) overseeing the process. Alongside these results, the Commission will also declare the outcomes of the recently held Assembly elections in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry.
The by-elections were organised to fill vacant seats in legislative assemblies across Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Nagaland and Tripura. A scheduled bypoll for the Ponda constituency in Goa was cancelled a day before polling following an order from the Bombay High Court.
Polling took place in seven constituencies, each vacated due to the death of sitting members. In Gujarat, the Umreth seat became vacant after the passing of Govindbhai Raijibhai Parmar.
Karnataka witnessed vacancies in Bagalkot and Davanagere South following the deaths of HY Meti and Shamanur Shivashankarappa.
In Maharashtra, Rahuri and Baramati were left without representation after the deaths of Shivaji Bhanudas Kardile and Ajit Pawar.
Meanwhile, the Koridang (ST) seat in Nagaland fell vacant after Imkong L Imchen died, and Dharmanagar in Tripura saw a similar situation following the death of Biswa Bandhu Sen.
Attention has particularly focused on the Baramati constituency in Maharashtra, where voter turnout reached 56.56 per cent, according to the ECI. Sunetra Pawar, a senior leader of the Nationalist Congress Party and the current Deputy Chief Minister, is expected to secure victory unopposed. She is the widow of the late Ajit Pawar, and her uncontested win follows the decision of the Indian National Congress to withdraw its candidate as a gesture of respect.
