Polling began at 7 am on Thursday for the by-election to the Bhabanipur seat, where West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is contesting, and two other constituencies amid tight security and stringent COVID-19 measures.

The by-polls are being held in south Kolkata's Bhabanipur, besides Jangipur and Samserganj seats in Murshidabad district and Pipili in Odisha. The results of the byelections will be declared on 3 October.

Bhabanipur bypoll has become a prestigious battle for West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is presently not an MLA. Banerjee, who lost from the Nandigram constituency to BJP's Suvendu Adhikari, in the assembly elections earlier this year, has to win this by-poll to retain the chief minister's post.  Banerjee, who is also the Trinamool Congress supremo, is pitted against BJP's Priyanka Tibrewal and CPI(M)'s Srijib Biswas in Bhabanipur.

Polls had to be countermanded in Jangipur and Samserganj in April following the death of two candidates.

Stringent security arrangements are in place in Bhabanipur ahead of the assembly by-election. As many as 15 companies of central forces have been deployed.

Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) have been imposed within 200 metres of the polling centres.  

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