Twenty per cent polling till mid-day in bypolls

Around 20% polling was recorded till mid-day in the by-elections to one Lok Sabha and 31 Assembly seats spread over seven states today.

The polling was peaceful as security forces and paramilitary personnel kept a strict vigil in the poll-bound constituencies.

In Firozabad Lok Sabha seat, where Congress candidate Raj Babbar is pitted against Mulayam Singh Yadav's daughter-in-law Dimple, 18% polling was registered whereas in 11 Assembly seats in the state, the turnout was over 15%.

Barring minor complaints related to electronic voting machines at some places, polling was by-and-large smooth.

The lone Lok Sabha by-election in the state has been necessitated after Akhilesh Yadav, son of the SP chief, vacated the seat and retained Kannauj.

The SP has virtually signalled the end of its ties with Congress and criticised Rahul Gandhi for campaigning against Dimple, saying the move was "against political courtesy".

In West Bengal, a turnout of 23% was recorded in the by-elections to ten assembly seats, State chief election officer Debasish Sen said.

By-elections to nine seats are being held as MLAs from these seats have been elected as members of Parliament in the last Lok Sabha elections, while in one seat, it is due to the death of state's former transport minister Subhas Chakraborty.

Tight security arrangements have been made for the bypolls with 400 personnel of central forces have been deployed to ensure peaceful elections in the state, which has been witnessing frequent political clashes.

The West Bengal by-elections are being viewed as a dress rehersal for the 2010 Assembly polls in the state.

Today's bypolls are considered politically crucial as the outcome will reflect whether the ruling Left Front, that suffered a series of setbacks in some recent polls, is able to reverse the trend.

It will also show whether the Left parties have been able to put a check on the string of successes achieved by the Trinamool Congress-Congress electoral alliance.

Over 15% voters turned up in the initial hours in the bypolls in Kannur, Ernakulam and Alappuzha Assembly constituencies in Kerala, another Left-ruled state.

The bypolls, necessitated following resignation of Congress MLAs on their getting elected to Lok Sabha, have gained importance as the CPI(M)-led ruling LDF sees it as an opportunity to boost its sagging morale after the Left Front's dismal show in the May Lok Sabha polls. The Congress-led UDF is leaving no stone unturned to ensure victory in these seats.

The fight in Kannur has received greater attention than the other two seats with Congress putting up former CPI-M MP AP Abdullakutty against Marxist warhorse MV Jayarajan.

In Rohroo and Jawali assembly seats of Himachal Pradesh, about 15% polling was recorded.

Bypoll in the two assembly seats is taking place due to resignation of Union steel minister Virbhadra Singh and BJP MP from Kangra Rajan Sushant respectively.

Singh had represented the seat, which is part of his Bushare royalty, for past 19 years before moving to Delhi.

In Rohroo, a polling party travelled at least 14km from the nearest motorable road to reach the booth at Pandar in the interiors of Dodra Kawar.

Voting in bypoll to Vaishali Nagar Assembly seat in Durg district of Chhattisgarh was held under tight security.

Despite the presence of over a dozen candidates, the main fight is between ruling BJP's Jageshwar Sahu and Bhajan Singh Nirankari of the Congress.

The bypoll was necessitated after BJP legislator Saroj Pandey was elected to the Lok Sabha from Durg in May.

In Rajasthan, over 10% voters cast their votes in Salumber and Todabheem assembly constituencies.

The outcome of the polls is being considered crucial for measuring the popularity of the Ashok Gehlot government and determining the stance of Gujjars after the Rajasthan High Court's recent stay on reservation granted to them.

Voting was also in progress in two seats in Assam – Salmara South and Dhekiajuli.

Counting of votes will be taken up on November 10.