The by-elections to one Lok Sabha seat and in five Legislative Assembly constituencies in five States and the Union Territory of Puducherry passed off peacefully on Thursday. The polling percentage was between 70 and 80, except in the Khadakwasala Assembly segment in Maharashtra, where it was around 30 per cent.
Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi told The Hindu that the polling was “totally peaceful and incident-free” and the turnout was encouraging in most segments.
In Haryana, where the election was held for the Hisar Lok Sabha seat, the polling was around 70 per cent. Any decision on re-poll in some pockets, if needed, would be decided based on the reports of the observers and the returning officers. The percentage might vary by one or two points when the exact figures were worked out.
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No disturbance
Mr. Quraishi said barring one or two incidents of malfunctioning or technical hitch in the electronic voting machines in some segments, there was no disturbance to the polling. There were no cases of arrests for impersonation or bogus voting.
The polls were held in the Assembly segments of Tiruchirappalli (West) — Tamil Nadu; Banswada — Andhra Pradesh; Indira Nagar — Puducherry; and Daraunda - Bihar.
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Counting will be taken up on October 17.
In Hisar, the by-election was necessitated following the death of Haryana Janhit Congress MP and the former Chief Minister, Bhajan Lal, in June.