Counting of votes for byelections has commenced. Over the past weeks, bypolls were conducted for 48 assembly seats across 14 states, including Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. Additionally, elections were held for two Lok Sabha seats in Kerala's Wayanad and Maharashtra's Nanded.
These elections mark the electoral debut of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who is contesting from Wayanad, a seat previously held by her brother Rahul Gandhi. The bypoll in Wayanad was necessitated after Rahul Gandhi, having won both Wayanad and Rae Bareli seats, chose to retain the latter.
As of 10:50 am, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is leading in Wayanad with over 2.26 lakh votes. Communist Party of India's Sathyan Mokeri trails with nearly 77,973 votes, while BJP's Navya Haridas is in third place with 43,352 votes. Priyanka Gandhi has established a lead of over 1 lakh votes.