Kerala: Puthuppally byelection concludes with voter turnout of 72.91 per cent

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 declared on September 8.

Kottayam: Voting in the Puthuppally Assembly constituency bypoll, which started at 7 am, has been concluded. According to the most recent reports, Puthuppally saw a polling rate of 72.91 per cent. Of the 1,76,412 registered voters, 1,28,624 voted in Puthuppally, according to official statistics. In total, there were 64,084 male voters, 64,538 female voters, and 2 transgender voters.

Due to the demise of former Kerala Chief Minister and staunch Congress member Oommen Chandy in July of this year, a byelection was necessitated. Almost a month after his passing, the by-election was declared.

The voting started at 7 am and by 2 pm about 50 per cent polling was recorded. LDF candidate Jaick C Thomas cast his vote at Kaniyamkunnu UP school. UDF candidate Chandy Oommen cast his vote at Georgian school, Puthuppally. The Kottayam district president of the BJP, G Lijinlal, is contesting in the byelection. In addition to these, there are three independent candidates and one Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate competing for election.

The counting of votes will take place on September 8.

The bypolls were also held in Dumri (Jharkhand), Puthuppally (Kerala), Boxanagar and Dhanpur (Tripura), Bageshwar (Uttarakhand), Ghosi (Uttar Pradesh), and Dhupguri (West Bengal).  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 I.N.D.I.A. 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.