Bypolls 2023: Voting underway in 7 seats; Dhanpur, Boxanagar records over 70% turnout by 3 pm

The bypolls are being held in Dumri (Jharkhand), Puthuppally (Kerala), Boxanagar and Dhanpur (Tripura), Bageshwar (Uttarakhand), Ghosi (Uttar Pradesh), and Dhupguri (West Bengal). Voting commenced at 7 am, and the results will be revealed on September 8.

In a significant political development and a precursor to the upcoming Assembly polls in several key states, bypolls were held in seven Assembly seats across six states, marking the first major face-off between the BJP-led NDA and the Opposition INDIA bloc.

The bypolls were held in Dumri (Jharkhand), Puthuppally (Kerala), Boxanagar and Dhanpur (Tripura), Bageshwar (Uttarakhand), Ghosi (Uttar Pradesh), and Dhupguri (West Bengal). Voting commenced at 7 am, and the results will be announced on September 8. In five of these seats, the by-elections were necessitated by the unfortunate demise of the incumbent MLAs, while the remaining two MLAs resigned from their positions.

The INDIA constituents have unitedly thrown their support behind the dominant Samajwadi Party in Ghosi, Uttar Pradesh, aligned with the leading JMM in Dumri, Jharkhand, and rallied behind the stronger CPI(M) in Dhanpur and Boxanagar, Tripura, as well as the prominent Congress in Uttarakhand's Bageshwar. However, in West Bengal's Dhupguri and Kerala's Puthappally seats, INDIA's partner parties find themselves in direct competition against each other, making these bypolls a critical test of political strength.

Here are the LIVE updates:

6:20 pm: Tripura’s Dhanpur and Boxanagar saw a voter turnout of 81.34% and 85.52%, respectively, an official from the CEO office said.

6.10 pm: Tripura bypolls: 76% voter turnout recorded till 3 pm, 6 injured in stray violence

5:15 pm: Jharkhand: About 59% voter turnout till 3 pm in Dumri assembly bypoll

5:10 pm: Uttar Pradesh bypoll: 43.24 per cent polling till 3 pm in Ghosi

4:20 pm: Tripura's Dhanpur and Boxanagar recorded 78.69% and 74.69% voter turnout, respectively.

---

2:30 PM: 61.61 % of polling was recorded at Boxanagar and 59.62% at Dhanpur till 1 pm.

---

1:00 PM: Over 34% polling recorded in the by-election to Dhupguri assembly seat in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district till 11 am

---

12:00 AM: 40.49 per cent voter turnout was recorded at the Boxanagar Assembly constituency and 39.48 per cent turnout was registered at Dhanpur until 11 am.

---

11:05 AM: 26.60% voting recorded till 11 am in Kerala's Puthuppally.

Total Percentage: 26.60%
Vote Polled : 46928
Men: 4682
Women: 22246
Transgender: 0

---

10:00 AM: In Uttar Pradesh, voter turnout was recorded at just 9.12 per cent in the first two hours polling.

---

10:00 AM: Over 11.40 per cent of 2.98 lakh voters cast their votes till 9 am in the by-election to Jhanrkhand's Dumri assembly seat.