Assembly Bypolls: Nagaland, Tripura see high voter turnout at 3 PM

Nagaland's Koridang constituency recorded a 75.06% voter turnout and Tripura's Dharmanagar saw 70.09% by 3 PM during assembly by-elections. Polling in Karnataka's Bagalkot and Davanagere South remained moderate at 54.82% and 49.66%.

Nagaland and Tripura took a significant lead in voter participation during the assembly by-elections on Thursday, according to the data revealed by the Election Commission of India at 3 PM. The Koridang constituency in Nagaland recorded a significant 75.06% turnout, maintaining its position as the highest among all seats. Close behind, Tripura's Dharmanagar saw 70.09% of voters casting their ballots. In Karnataka, polling in Bagalkot and Davanagere South remained moderate at 54.82% and 49.66%. The elections, necessitated by the vacancies following the passing of sitting legislators, saw key contests between major national and regional parties. Official results for all constituencies are expected to be announced on May 4, 2026.

Morning Turnout Data

As per Election Commission data at 11 AM, the Koridang constituency in Nagaland recorded a remarkable 59.52% voter turnout. Tripura's Dharmanagar constituency also witnessed strong voter enthusiasm and crossed the 50% mark with 52.76% turnout. Parallely, Karnataka showed significant momentum as Bagalkot has surged to 43.75% turnout while Davanagere South has also made steady gains, reaching 37.17%.

State-Wise Election Details and Key Candidates

Voting for by-elections in Davanagere South and Bagalkot constituencies in Karnataka, Koridang constituency in Nagaland, and Dharmanagar constituency in Tripura began this morning at 7 AM.

Karnataka

In Karnataka, Congress has fielded Umesh Meti from the Bagalkot constituency and Samarth Mallikarjun as the candidate for the by-elections to the Davanagere South seat. Umesh Meti is the son of late Congress leader Meti Hullappa Yamanappa (HY Meti), who represented the Bagalkot seat, while Samarth Mallikarjun is the son of Karnataka Minister SS Mallikarjun. The BJP has fielded Veerabhadrayya Charantimath and Srinivas T Dasakariyappa from Bagalkot and Davanagere South assembly constituencies, respectively. The Bagalkot seat fell vacant after the death of HY Meti and Davanagere South, following the death of Shamanur Shivashankarappa.

Nagaland

In Nagaland, Congress' candidate T Chalukumba AO is pitted against veteran BJP leader Imkong L Imchen's son Daochier I Imchen for the Koridang seat bye-election. T Chalukumba AO had contested the 2023 Nagaland Assembly elections on a Janata Dal (United) ticket. The BJP State Council Member Imchainba Jamir had withdrawn his candidature in favour of Imchen. The Koridang (ST) seat in Nagaland became vacant after the death of veteran BJP leader Imkong L Imchen.

Tripura

In Tripura, the BJP has named Jahar Chakraborti as the party's candidate for the Dharmanagar seat, against Congress's Chayan Bhattacharjee. Amitabha Datta of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) is also in the fray. The seat fell vacant after the demise of Tripura Speaker and four-time MLA Biswa Bandhu Sen.

Other Bypoll Updates

The vacant assembly constituency in Goa was also scheduled to hold polling today; however, the Bombay High Court cancelled the Ponda bye-elections. The results for the bye-elections will be announced on May 4.

The ECI had earlier announced the schedule for by-elections across eight Assembly constituencies in six states. Polling for bypolls in Umreth (Gujarat), Rahuri, and Baramati (Maharashtra) will take place on April 23, with the counting of votes to take place on May 4. (ANI)

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