Stage set for polling in crucial UP by-elections tomorrow
A total of 34 lakh voters will decide the fate of 90 candidates contesting the bypolls from nine assembly constituencies.
In the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency, where Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra made her electoral debut, the polling percentage dropped significantly this time. The constituency recorded a lower voter turnout, with the figure at 64.53 per cent as of 6:40 pm on Wednesday.
Although rural areas in Wayanad saw a good turnout starting early in the morning, urban areas witnessed lower voter participation. In the last general election, Wayanad recorded a turnout of 73.5 per cent. Political observers noted that the large crowds drawn by Priyanka’s campaign events did not translate into voter turnout.
Priyanka visited several polling stations across the constituency, interacting with voters. LDF candidate Sathyan Mokeri and NDA candidate Navya Haridas also toured various booths.
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This by-election was called after Rahul Gandhi, who won the seat in the general elections earlier this year, vacated it to retain his seat in Rae Bareli. Sixteen candidates contested, with the main contenders being Congress-led UDF’s Priyanka Gandhi, CPI-M-led LDF’s Sathyan Mokeri, and BJP-led NDA’s Navya Haridas.
In the Chelakkara Assembly bypoll, voter turnout was strong. By 6:40 pm, Chelakkara registered a turnout of 72.42 per cent. Six candidates were in the running for the assembly seat, where a by-election was needed after LDF’s K.
Radhakrishnan, who won there in 2021, was elected to the Lok Sabha from Alathur, defeating UDF’s Ramya Haridas, the previous representative from Chelakkara. Ramya Haridas is now contesting for the Chelakkara assembly seat against LDF’s CPI-M nominee UR Pradeep and NDA’s BJP candidate K Balakrishnan.
The by-election in the Palakkad Assembly constituency was rescheduled from November 13 to November 20 to avoid conflict with Kalpathy Ratholsavam, an annual festival at Sree Viswanatha Swamy Temple in Kalpathy.
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