Several exit polls have predicted the BJP's victory in 5-7 seats out of bypolls held in nine assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh.
Voting in bypolls to nine assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh picked up pace after a sluggish start on Wednesday, but the turnout did not cross 60 per cent in any of the constituencies with Ghaziabad logging just 33 per cent.
The state had recorded an overall turnout of 61.03 per cent in the 2022 assembly polls. Voting started at 7 am in Katehari, Karhal, Mirapur, Ghaziabad, Majhawan, Sisamau, Khair, Phulpur and Kundarki seats.
The Election Commission's update at 5 pm showed the voter turnout in Ghaziabad was 33.30 per cent, Katehari (56.69 per cent), Khair (46.43 per cent), Kundarki (57.32 per cent), Karhal (53.92 per cent), Majhawan (50.41 per cent), Meerapur (57.02 per cent), Phulpur (43.43 per cent) and Sisamau (49.03 per cent).
The elderly, young and even physically-challenged people were seen at the polling stations since morning amid heavy security deployment in all constituencies.
This is the first electoral contest in the state after the Lok Sabha polls. The Congress is not contesting these bypolls and has lent support to the Samajwadi Party, its INDIA bloc ally. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is contesting on all nine seats solo.
Asaduddin Owaisi's All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has fielded candidates from Ghaziabad, Kundarki and Mirapur while Chandrashekhar Azad-led Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) is contesting on all seats except Sisamau.
The results of the bypolls, however, will not have any impact on the health of the BJP-led state government in the 403-member Uttar Pradesh Assembly. At present, the BJP has 251 members in the House followed by the Samajwadi Party's 105.
