New Delhi [India], October 6 (ANI): Voting for assembly and parliamentary by-elections across Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Puducherry and Assam concluded on Tuesday, with several constituencies recording high voter turnout. Tamil Nadu’s Maduranthakam assembly constituency recorded the highest turnout at 86.26 per cent.
Bypolls were held in two assembly constituencies each in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, one assembly seat in the Union Territory of Puducherry and one Lok Sabha constituency in Assam.
According to the latest data released by the Election Commission of India (ECI), Tamil Nadu’s Dharapuram recorded 80.30 per cent polling, while West Bengal’s Nandigram registered 80.89 per cent turnout. Rejinagar in West Bengal recorded 80.07 per cent polling.
In Puducherry, the Thattanchavady assembly constituency recorded 80.81 per cent voter turnout.
In Assam, the Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency recorded 76.20 per cent polling. Though it was the lowest among the constituencies that went to polls on Tuesday, more than three-fourths of the electorate exercised their franchise.
The Dharapuram assembly seat fell vacant following the resignation of P Sathyabama, who quit the AIADMK to join Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). A similar vacancy arose in Maduranthakam after AIADMK MLA Maragatham Kumaravel resigned from the assembly and subsequently joined the TVK.
In West Bengal, the Nandigram seat fell vacant after Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari won from two constituencies in the state Assembly elections earlier this year and chose to retain the Bhabanipur seat.
The Rejinagar seat fell vacant following the resignation of Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) founder Humayun Kabir, who had also secured victory from Nowda.
The Rejinagar bypoll saw high-voltage drama as Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) chief and MLA Humayun Kabir was detained by Rejinagar Police from his party office while polling was underway.
Beldanga Sub-Divisional Police Officer Anandjit Hore said that Kabir was taken into custody for allegedly violating the law during the polling process.
Reacting to the detention, Adhikari said that election rules applied equally to all public representatives and that politicians could face action if they entered polling booths outside their designated areas.
Speaking to reporters after casting his vote, Adhikari emphasised that security cover did not give politicians immunity to interfere in polling operations outside their designated booths.
“Today even I… they could detain me as well. We have security cover, right? We are protectees—MLAs, MPs, ministers, the Chief Minister, everyone. Are they permitted to go outside [their designated] booth? He went outside of his booth and caused interference,” Adhikari said.
Emphasising that election oversight rests with the Election Commission and not the state government, the Chief Minister said that any concerns regarding the polling process should be raised with the concerned election officials.
“The Election Commission’s rules apply in Nandigram and Rejinagar, right? The state government has no role in this. If you have any questions, ask the police observer in Rejinagar. If you have any questions, ask the CEO or the Election Commission’s representative in Calcutta,” he added.
Meanwhile, Dharapuram also witnessed a controversy involving former MLA P Sathyabama after a video purportedly showing her claiming to have spent Rs 31 crore on an election went viral.
Sathyabama alleged that the video had been distorted and misrepresented. She said she was confident of securing one lakh votes in the Dharapuram Assembly bypoll.
“The video released about me yesterday was distorted and misrepresented. I did not speak like that. They are doing all this because I have a strong chance of winning. I will secure one lakh votes. From the beginning of the election, various things have been distorted and portrayed against me. This video has also been misrepresented. People are clear about what is happening,” she further said.
However, AIADMK leader VPB Paramasivam accused Sathyabama of fighting the election for money rather than public service.
He said, “I could clearly see the intention of P Sathyabama. The intention of P Satyabhama is not to serve the public of Dharapuram; her intention is to play a money game. She wanted to regain the power to earn money… The video shows all the accounts and the amount spent… She does not have a purpose to stand in the election except for making money.”
The counting of votes will take place on October 9. The Election Commission stated that the entire election process is scheduled to be completed before October 11. (ANI)
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