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The bye-elections taking place in 31 assembly seats across 10 states, including Karnataka and Kerala, saw significant voter participation. In Karnataka, Channapatna constituency witnessed a remarkable voter turnout of 84.26%, followed by Shiggaon at 75.07% and Sandur at 71.47% as of 5 pm on Wednesday, November 13.
The Channapatna constituency is witnessing a contest between JD(S) candidate Nikhil Kumaraswamy, son of Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy, and Congress leader CP Yogeeshwara. This seat was previously held by HD Kumaraswamy before his election to the Lok Sabha. In the 2018 Assembly elections, Channapatna had recorded a turnout of 85.86%.
In Shiggaon, BJP's Bharat Bommai, son of former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, is vying for the seat against Congress candidate Yasir Ahmed Khan Pathan. The seat was vacated by Basavaraj Bommai after his election as an MP from Haveri, and had recorded a voter turnout of 80.01% in 2018.
The Sandur constituency became vacant after its Congress representative, E Tukaram, was elected to the Lok Sabha from Ballari. Tukaram's wife, E Annapurna, is now contesting the seat against BJP's Bangaru Hanumantha, president of the BJP's ST Morcha in Karnataka. Sandur saw a 74.44% voter turnout in the 2018 elections.
Meanwhile, in Kerala, the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency and Chelakkara Assembly constituency have seen a voter turnout exceeding 50%, with Wayanad registering 51.79% and Chelakkara around 57.52% as of 4 pm. In the 2021 Assembly elections, Wayanad recorded a 74.2% turnout when Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi contested the seat. This bye-election was necessitated after he vacated the seat to represent Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi's sister, is contesting her first election in Wayanad against Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidate and CPI leader Sathyan Mokeri, as well as BJP's Navya Haridas.
The bye-election in Chelakkara was triggered by the recent Lok Sabha win of former Minister K Radhakrishnan from Alathur constituency. CPI(M) leader UR Pradeep, the previous MLA who stepped aside for Radhakrishnan, seeks to retain the seat. Congress has fielded Remya Haridas, former Lok Sabha MP from Alathur, while BJP's candidate is local leader K Balakrishnan. Chelakkara had a voter turnout of 81.2% in the 2021 Assembly elections.
Source: Bye-polls: Channapatna registers 84.26% voter turnout, Wayanad crosses 50%