Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami urges voters to participate in Kedarnath bye-election

Speaking to ANI about the importance of voting, he said, "I appeal to all the voters of Kedarnath Assembly to vote in large numbers. Provide your cooperation in speeding up the development work going on in Kedarnath. Voting is also taking place in Maharashtra and Jharkhand today. I appeal to all the voters there to participate in the voting and form a double-engine government."

Earlier in the day, the BJP candidate for the Kedarnath by-election, Asha Nautiyal, cast her vote at polling booth number 21. Speaking to ANI, she said, "PM Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Dhami are constantly working for the development of this region. That is why people will vote for BJP today. Our issues have been of development."

As of 11:00 AM, the voter turnout in the Kedarnath by-election was recorded at 17.69 percent. This by-election is seen as an important event for the region's political future, following the death of BJP MLA Shaila Rani Rawat in July this year, which caused the seat in Rudraprayag district to become vacant.

Among the six candidates contesting, the main fight is between BJP's Asha Nautiyal and Congress's Manoj Rawat.

Meanwhile, polling commenced for the by-elections in 15 Assembly seats across Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Kerala, and Uttarakhand. 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 Yugendra 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)