Maharashtra bypolls: Voting underway in Chinchwad amid tight security

Voting is being held on Sunday for the bypolls to the Chinchwad and Kasba Peth assembly seats in Maharashtra, amid tight security.

In Kasba Peth, the voting is taking place in a total of 270 polling booths, where the police have made nine sensitive polling centres.

According to data released by the district information office, the total number of voters in the Kasba Peth constituency is 2,75,428, with 1,38, 550 women voters and 1,36,87 male and five transgender voters.

Around 1,300 police personnel, along with all senior officials of the police department, have been deployed for voting day by the Pune police.

In Chinchwad Assembly constituency, a total of 56,8954 eligible voters will cast their votes across 510 pooling booths. The police have marked 13 sensitive polling centres in this constituency with 850 police personnel along with all senior officials stationed across the constituency.

To maintain law and order during the by-poll paramilitary forces like Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) would be assisting the police personnel in both the cities.

A two-way fight between the BJP and the MVA will decide the poll outcome for Kasba Peth, with the latter pitting Congress candidate Ravindra Dhangekar against the BJP's Hemant Rasane.

In Chinchwad, the contest is between Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) candidate Vitthal Kate, BJP's Ashwini Jagtap and Independent Rahul Kalate.

The heavyweights contesting parties, including Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar, Shiv Sena UBT's Aditya Thackeray and Congress state chief Nana Patole, have been campaigning extensively and vigorously for their respective party candidates through roadshows, street corner meetings and public rallies in the poll-bound constituencies.

The bye-elections were necessitated after the demise of BJP's MLA Laxman Jagtap, from the Chinchwad Assembly constituency, and Mukta Tilak from the Kasba Peth Assembly constituency.

The counting of votes will be done on March 2.