Polling begins for 15 Assembly seats across UP, Punjab Kerala and Uttarakhand

Notably, nine seats in Uttar Pradesh--Meerapur, Kundarki, Ghaziabad, Khair, Karhal, Sishamau, Phulpur, Katehari, and Majhawan--are up for by-polls.

The by-elections in Uttar Pradesh are significant for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which suffered a major setback in the state, winning only 36 out of 80 seats in the last elections.

In Punjab, by-elections are being held in four Assembly constituencies: Gidderbaha, Dera Baba Nanak, Chabbewal (SC), and Barnala.

By-polls are also underway in Kerala's Palakkad constituency and Uttarakhand's Kedarnath Assembly constituency.

Earlier, mock polls were conducted in all constituencies to ensure a smooth election day. Election officials have worked tirelessly to finalise preparations, while security arrangements have been tightened across polling stations to ensure a peaceful and orderly voting process for citizens.

Meanwhile, polling for the Assembly elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand has also begun.

In Maharashtra, voting is taking place across 288 Assembly seats, with several constituencies witnessing high-stakes battles. Key leaders in contention include Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, contesting from Kopri-Pachpakhadi against Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Kedar Prakash Dighe, and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, defending his stronghold in Nagpur South West against Congress candidate Prafulla Gudadhe.

NCP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar is seeking to retain the family bastion of Baramati, facing Yungendra Pawar of NCP (SP).

In Jharkhand, 528 candidates, including 55 women, one third-gender candidate, and 472 men, are contesting across 38 seats in this phase. Over 1.23 crore voters, including 61 lakh women, are eligible to cast their votes.

Prominent candidates in Jharkhand include Chief Minister Hemant Soren, his wife Kalpana Soren, and his sister-in-law Sita Soren from the JMM. Key BJP candidates in this phase include former Chief Minister Babulal Marandi, Assembly Speaker Ravindra Nath Mahto (JMM), AJSU Party chief Sudesh Mahto, and Leader of Opposition Amar Kumar Bauri. The election primarily pits the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-led alliance against the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). (ANI)