Polling for Kedarnath by-election begins in Uttarakhand

Dehradun: Polling began at 7 am on Wednesday for byelection to the Kedarnath assembly seat in Uttarakhand.

The assembly seat in Rudraprayag district fell vacant after the death of BJP MLA Shaila Rani Rawat in July this year.

There are six candidates in the fray, with BJP's Asha Nautiyal and Congress's Manoj Rawat seen to be locked in a straight contest.

A total of 173 polling booths have been set up in the constituency, and CCTVs have been installed in 130 of them.

The polling centre will be continuously monitored by the District and Chief Election Officer's Office as well as the Election Commission through webcasting from CCTV cameras, CEO BVRC Purushottam said.

The stakes are high for both BJP and Congress in the bypoll. While the BJP faces the challenge of retaining the seat, the Congress is looking to ensure the BJP's defeat in yet another crucial seat after Badrinath.