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NEW DELHI: High to moderate voting was recorded in the bypolls to eight assembly constituencies spread across six states and the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday, with Dampa in Mizoram and Anta in Rajasthan clocking a percentage of over 80. Besides Dampa and Anta, the other seats that went to polls are Budgam and Nagrota in Jammu and Kashmir, Ghatshila in Jharkhand, Jubilee Hills in Telangana, Nuapada in Odisha and Tarn Taran in Punjab. While Dampa saw a turnout of 82.3%, it was 80.3% in Anta, 79.4% in Nuapada, 75.1% in Nagrota, 74.6% in Ghatshila, 61% in Punja’s Tarn Taran, 50% in Budgam, and 48.5% in Jubilee Hills at the end of polling. Votes will be counted on Nov 14. Voting passed off peacefully in all the seats. In Odisha, two poll officials were suspended for failing to maintain voting secrecy. The Anta bypoll, which was necessitated after BJP MLA Kanwar Lal Meena was disqualified following his conviction in a criminal case, saw 15 candidates in the fray, with the contest primarily between BJP’s Morpal Suman and Congress candidate and former minister Pramod Jain Bhaya. The bypoll in Dampa was necessitated following the death of incumbent MNF legislator Lalrintluanga Sailo in July. In Budgam, polling began amid chilly conditions as the valley witnessed sub-zero night temperatures at most places. The poll percentage of 50 was slightly lesser than the last year’s assembly polls of 52.3%.
