New Delhi:
By-polls to one Lok Sabha and 31 Assembly seats spread across seven states are being held on Saturday amid tight security.
The Election Commission on Friday said central police force personnel have been deployed in Assam, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh and Kerala.
The Firozabad Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh is also going to polls on Saturday.
"The EC would like to make it abundantly clear that it would spare no efforts, as it always does, for ensuring a free and fair poll in all the seats," a statement said.
While Congress' politician-turned-actor Raj Babbar is pitched against SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav's daughter-in-law Dimple in the Firozabad Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh, where a total of 177 candidates are in the fray in this constituency and 11 assembly seats.
In the state, 5,616 polling stations have been set at 3,682 centres to facilitate the polling.
The by-poll in Firozabad was necessitated by the resignation of SP MP and Mulayam's son Akhilesh, who had also won from the Kannauj seat.
By-polls will also be held in 10 assembly seats in West Bengal, three in Kerala, and two each in Assam, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan and one seat in Chhattisgarh.
Most of the seats fell vacant due to sitting members becoming MPs.
Counting of votes would take place on November 10.
The EC said that all sensitive polling stations would have static observer (micro-observer) overseeing poll proceedings from inside the polling station and reporting against any vitiation of the poll process.
In Assam, elections will be held for Salmara South and Dhekiajuli seats while Rohru and Jawali in Himachal Pradesh, Salumber (ST) and Todabhim (ST) in Rajasthan and Vaishali Nagar (in Chhattisgarh) will go to the polls.
The constituencies where assembly elections will be held in Uttar Pradesh are Powagan (SC), Lucknow West, Padrouna, Rari, Isauli, Jhansi, Kolasala, Hainsar Bazar, Lalitpur, Etawah and Bharthana.
In West Bengal, Kalchini (ST), Raiganj (SC), Sujapur, Goalpokhar, Bongaon, Contai South, Egra, Serampore, Alipore and Belgachia East will go to the polls.
The three seats in Kerala are Kannur, Ernakulam and Alappuzha.
Campaigning for the by-polls had ended on Friday after days of hectic electioneering and political rhetoric.
While SP virtually signalled the end of its ties with Congress, campaigning in Kerala witnessed an acrimonious phase of political rhetoric between the CPI (M)-led ruling LDF and the Congress-controlled UDF.
While it is vital for Congress to retain the seats, LDF sees it as an opportunity to boost the morale of the Left rank and file after its dismal show in the Lok Sabha polls.