New Delhi [India]: Former Delhi Chief Minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday urged the voters in Punjab to cast their franchise in the state by-elections and vote to take the 'good work' ahead.
"Voting is being held for by-elections in Punjab today. I appeal to all voters to use their votes responsibly and vote to take forward the good work being done in Punjab," said Kejriwal.
In Punjab, by-elections are being held in four Assembly constituencies: Gidderbaha, Dera Baba Nanak, Chabbewal (SC), and Barnala.
Among the key contestants in the fray to the bypolls are former Punjab finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal, Kewal Singh Dhillon, Sohan Singh Thandal and Ravikaran Singh Kahlon (BJP), Amrita Warring and Jatinder Kaur (Congress), and Hardeep Singh Dimpy Dhillon and Ishank Kumar Chabbewal (AAP).
Warring is the wife of the Congress' Punjab chief and Ludhiana MP Amrinder Singh Raja Warring. Jatinder Kaur is the spouse of Gurdaspur MP and former deputy chief minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa.
Polling commenced for the by-elections in 15 Assembly seats across Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Kerala, and Uttarakhand on Wednesday morning.
In Uttar Pradesh, 9 seats--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.
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, a voter turnout of 18.14 per cent was recorded till 11 am in the single-phase assembly elections in Maharashtra while Jharkhand recorded a turnout of 31.37 per cent by the same time in the second phase of assembly polls, according to the Election Commission of India.
Gadchiroli district in Maharashtra recorded the highest voter turnout of 30.00 per cent, while the district of Nanded recorded the lowest voter turnout of 13.67 per cent till 11 am, as per the data of the Election Commission of India (ECI).
Earlier today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged citizens to vote in large numbers for the assembly elections.
Voting began at 7 am on Wednesday for the single-phase on 288 seats of Maharashtra assembly elections and second phase of the Jharkhand Assembly elections, covering the remaining 38 seats. (ANI)
