Vadodara (Gujarat) [India], July 30 : Vadodara's Manjalpur seat recorded a voter turnout of 34.35 per cent by 05:00 pm, according to official ECI trends.
Manjalpur is one of the three assembly constituencies where by-elections took place alongside Datia in Madhya Pradesh and Bankipur in Bihar.
In Datia, the polling percentage reached 68.78 per cent, while 33.57 per cent of votes were polled in Bankipur.
The Manjalpur seat fell vacant following the demise of sitting BJP MLA Yogeshbhai Narandas Patel, who had won the seat in the past three elections. The main contest in the Manjalpur by-election is between Satish Patel of the BJP and Bhikhabhai Rabari of the Congress.
The Gazette Notification for the by-elections was issued on July 6, 2026, marking the commencement of the nomination process.
The last date for filing nominations was fixed as July 13, with the scrutiny of nomination papers taking place on July 14, and candidates permitted to withdraw their candidatures until July 16. Polling for the three assembly seats across Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat is being coducted today and the counting of votes is slated for August 3.
Jan Suraaj founder and Bankipur Assembly by-election candidate Prashant Kishor on Thursday alleged that more than 30 party workers had been arrested during polling and accused the police administration of acting "completely one-sidedly" to intimidate voters and help the BJP.
Kishor later arrived at the Gol Ghar polling station in Patna following reports of irregularities during voting and, amid a ruckus at the polling booth, alleged that Jan Suraaj workers were being systematically picked up from tables set up for the party's election campaign.
"In an organized manner, wherever people of Jan Suraaj have set up tables, these people are taking them away... Here too, Bablu Sharma has been taken away. That is why the local people are agitated. Since last night, they (the police) have been entering houses and taking people away," Kishor said.
In Datia, the BJP and Congress are the main parties contesting the by-poll, and leaders of both parties are claiming victory. Senior BJP leader Narottam Mishra, BJP candidate Ashutosh Tiwari, and Congress nominee Ghanshyam Singh cast their votes and appealed to people to exercise their franchise. (ANI)
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