By-Elections 2026 Voting, Voter Turnout Percentage Live: Four Assembly seats across three states – Karnataka, Nagaland and Tripura- are going to bypolls on April 9 (Thursday).
High voter turnout was recorded in the high-stakes state assembly by-elections, with Nagaland’s Koridang leading at an impressive 80.62% and Tripura’s Dharmanagar close behind at 79.84%. Karnataka’s dual contests showed solid participation too- Bagalkot at 65.68% and Davanagere South at 63.04%- as polling continued amid intense party rivalries across the three states.
These by-elections, triggered by the deaths of sitting MLAs, pit major parties in intense battles: Congress in Karnataka, BJP allies in Nagaland and Tripura. Early trends suggest robust participation despite hot weather, with queues forming since 7 AM polling start.
Voting began at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm. Meanwhile, bypolls in Gujarat and Maharashtra will be held later, on April 23, and the counting of votes will take place on May 4 (Monday) for all the bypoll bound states. Even though most attention is on the big elections in Assam, Kerala and Puducherry, these bypolls are still important as they reflect the local political mood.
Bypolls in Goa’s Ponda cancelled
The by-election in Goa has been called off after a court directive. The court observed that with less than a year left in the Assembly’s tenure, there is no need to conduct a bypoll.
Security tightened across states, holiday announced
Authorities have made tight security arrangements at all polling stations to ensure peaceful voting. A paid holiday has also been announced for voters in these constituencies to encourage higher turnout.
Siddaramaiah campaigns in Karnataka
In Karnataka, campaigning for the Bagalkot and Davangere South seats ended on April 7. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and other leaders made last-minute efforts to attract voters. These bypolls were required after the death of former ministers HY Meti and Shamanur Shivashankarappa.
Many of these bypolls have been triggered by the death of sitting MLAs, which can create a sympathy factor. However, sympathy alone usually doesn’t decide the result. Winning often depends on strong organisation, well-known candidates and solid local networks. Also, voter turnout in bypolls is usually 10–20 per cent lower than in general elections, so results depend more on who manages to bring their supporters out to vote.
Alliance dynamics in Nagaland
In Nagaland’s Koridang seat, the BJP is not directly contesting but is still involved through its alliance strategy. The bypoll was caused by the death of Imkong L Imchen from the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party. Here, the focus is more on maintaining balance within alliances rather than just winning the seat, as BJP’s broader Northeast strategy depends on strong partnerships as well.
Three-way battle in Tripura
In Tripura, the Dharamanagar constituency is set for a three-way fight between candidates from the BJP, Congress and CPI(M). The by-election was necessitated after the death of the sitting MLA, who was also the Assembly Speaker.
Counting on May 4
Votes for all Assembly elections and by-elections will be counted on May 4. The results are likely to have a big impact on the political direction of these regions.
A large turnout is expected, with tough competition between parties. April 9 is shaping up to be an important day for Indian democracy, as attention turns to how voters influence the outcome in these key states.
Keep tracking this space for live updates on the by-elections in the three states.