Counting of votes began on Tuesday in Balasore and Tirtol assembly constituencies of Odisha, where by-elections were held last week, election officials said.
The counting started at 8 am amid tight security arrangements and strict adherence to Covid-19 guidelines.
The deaths of BJP MLA Madan Mohan Dutta in Balasore and BJD legislator Bishnu Charan Das in Tirtol necessitated the by-polls which were held on November 3.
The electoral fortunes of 15 candidates -- six in Balasore and nine in Tirtol -- will be decided on Tuesday.
The BJP has fielded Manas Kumar Dutta, the son of late MLA Madan Mohan Dutta, in the Balasore seat, while Swarup Das is the BJD candidate and the Congress nominated Mamata Kundu.
The BJD has fielded Bijay Shankar Das, the son of Bishnu Charan Das, in the Tirtol seat, while the Congress candidate in Himansu Bhushan Mallick, and Rajkishore Behera is the BJP nominee.