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Polling begins, with Jogi, Marandi in fray

The constituencies are Ramgarh (Jharkhand), Marwahi (Chhattisgarh), Bhartana, Siwalkhas and Sarsawa (all in Uttar Pradesh), Asthawan (Bihar), Majitha (Punjab), Giddalur and Badvel (Andhra Pradesh), Hindoli (Rajasthan) Shahpur (Madhya Pradesh) and Kadamtala (Tripura).

A moderate voter turnout was recorded since polling began at 0700 hours IST for by-elections to Badvel and Giddalur assembly constituencies in Andhra Pradesh.

According to the police, no untoward incident was reported from both constituencies.

About five per cent of the electorate exercised their franchise since 0800 hours in the by-election for Majitha assembly constituency in Amritsar district.

According to reports from the district headquarters, about five per cent of the electorate voted in the first hour of polling.

Polling in 166 booths of Shahpur assembly constituency began at 0800 hours amid tight security.

Marandi is pitted against the Communist Party of India's Nadira Begum, widow of CPI legislator Shabbir Ahmad Quraishi, and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha's Arjun Ram Mahato in Ramgarh, where the outlawed Maoist Communist Centre has called for a poll boycott.

Of 261 polling stations, 103 have been identified as 'highly sensitive' and 52 as 'sensitive'. Thirty companies of police, including paramilitary forces, have been deployed in the constituency.

A red alert had been sounded in Ashthawa assembly constituency in Nalanda district of Bihar. Shoot-at-sight orders have also been issued.

Ashthawa assembly constituency has 255 polling booths and 180262 voters.

The Samata Party and Lok Jan Shakti Party, though National Democratic Alliance partners, are in the electoral battle as is the Rashtriya Janata Dal.

R P Sharma, an Independent, who represented this Kurmi-dominated constituency, had passed away.

Jogi takes on the Bharatiya Janata Party's Amar Singh Kusro in Marwahi, where 29 of 190 polling stations have been classified as sensitive. Ramdayal Uike had resigned from the assembly after being elected on a BJP ticket.

Eight mobile teams and two companies of the Special Armed Force have been deployed in the constituency, which has 1,30,225 voters.

The Election Commission has deputed two observers for Bhartana in Etawah and Oraiya districts, Siwalkhas in Meerut and Sarsawa in Saharanpur districts in Uttar Pradesh, with 711,535 voters. Electronic voting machines will be used in the 447 polling centres.

State Samajwadi Party chief Ram Sharan Das Gujar campaigned to enable his son's entry into the assembly from Sarsawa, where BJP MLA Nirbhay Pal Sharma was murdered.

Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Ajit Singh has a major stake in Siwalkhas, which will test his strength in western Uttar Pradesh before next year's assembly elections.

In Punjab's Majitha constituency, though there are five candidates, a straight contest is likely between the Congress and the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal. The seat fell vacant following the death of cabinet minister and senior Akali Dal leader Prakash Singh Majitha. The SAD has fielded Rajya Sahba member Raj Mohinder Singh Majitha, while Swinder Singh Kathunangal will contest the seat on a Congress ticket.

The high-pitched campaign in this holy town revived bitter memories in the about 1,23,000 voters of the constituency. The administration threw a security cordon in all 122 villages where besides the existing strength of Majitha police, three companies of the Central Reserve Police Force have also been deployed at polling stations identified as very sensitive.

In Andhra Pradesh, there are about 260,000 voters in 368 booths in Giddalur and Badvel Assembly constituencies. A total of 21 candidates are in the fray in both constituencies with the main fight between the ruling Telugu Desam Party and the Congress. Elaborate security arrangements for fair and peaceful conduct of polling are in place.

For 129,000 voters in Hindoli in Rajasthan, adequate police forces, along with mobile police parties, have been deployed. Of 169 polling stations, 31 are hyper-sensitive and 17 sensitive.

Five candidates are in the field for 1,29,000 voters in Hindoli in Rajasthan, considered to be a Congress bastion. The contest features Ramkaran Gurjar, Congress, Nathulal Gurjar, BJP and Ramesh Charndra Meena, Independent, who broke away from the Congress.

The fate of Sriram Patil of the Congress and Ramdas Shivhare of the BJP among four candidates in Shahpur constituency in Madhya Pradesh will be decided by 1,33,000 voters. Gokul Singh and Santosh Singh are contesting as independents. The Republic Day earthquake in neighbouring Gujarat cast its shadow on campaigning, which initially was low-key.

The Kadamtala seat in Tripura is to witness a multi-cornered contest between the ruling CPI-M led Left Front candidate Subodh Nath, former assembly Speaker Jyotirmoy Nath, Congress, BJP's Karuna Nath and Sundar Mukherjee, who is in the fray on a Janata Dal-U ticket. There are 28,741 voters.

UNI

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