Counting Begins In Seven Assembly Bypolls Across Jharkhand, Mizoram, Odisha, Telangana, Rajasthan, Punjab And J&K

The counting of votes in four assembly bypolls across Jharkhand, Mizoram, Odisha and Telangana began on Friday morning under tight security arrangements, officials said.

In Jharkhand, the counting of votes for the Ghatshila bypoll in East Singhbhum district began at 8 am at the Jamshedpur Cooperative College. East Singhbhum District Election Officer and Deputy Commissioner Karn Satyarthi said the process started with postal ballots, followed by votes recorded in EVMs. A total of 20 rounds of counting will be held on 19 tables. The bypoll, which saw a 74.63 per cent voter turnout on 11 November, was necessitated by the death of JMM MLA Ramdas Soren on 15 August. Thirteen candidates are contesting, with the main contest expected between Somesh Chandra Soren of the JMM and the BJP’s Babulal Soren, son of former chief minister Champai Soren.

In Mizoram, counting began at 8 am for the Dampa assembly by-election at the Mamit deputy commissioner complex. District Election Officer Lalnunfela Chawngthu said postal ballots were being counted first, followed by EVM votes. There will be five rounds of counting. One counting hall with nine counting tables, including one dedicated to postal ballots, has been set up, with each table monitored by a supervisor and two assistants. The bypoll was called after the death of MNF legislator Lalrintluanga Sailo in July. Polling on Tuesday recorded a turnout of 83.07 per cent of the 20,888 eligible voters. Five candidates representing the Zoram People’s Movement, the Mizo National Front, the Congress, the BJP and the People’s Conference are in the fray.

In Odisha, counting for the Nuapada assembly bypoll started at 8 am under a three-tier security arrangement. District Election Officer and Nuapada Collector Madhusudan Dash said the counting of postal ballots was underway, with EVM counting scheduled to begin at 8.30 am across 14 tables. There will be 26 rounds of counting. The by-election was necessitated by the death of BJD MLA Rajendra Dholakia on 8 September. The Nuapada by-election recorded a voter turnout of 83.45 per cent. Fourteen candidates are contesting.

In Telangana, officials said counting of votes polled in the Jubilee Hills Assembly bypoll also commenced on Friday.

The counting of votes for the Anta assembly bypoll in Rajasthan’s Baran district also began on Friday morning at the seminar hall of Government PG College. Fourteen tables have been set up for 20 rounds of counting. Postal ballots are being counted first, followed by votes recorded in EVMs, and the result is expected by Friday afternoon. Fifteen candidates are contesting, including the BJP’s Morpal Suman, the Congress’s former minister Pramod Jain Bhaya and Independent candidate Naresh Meena. Polling on 11 November saw a voter turnout of 80.21 per cent.

In Punjab, the counting of votes for the Tarn Taran assembly bypoll began at 8 am at the International College of Nursing in Piddi under tight security arrangements. Polling on Tuesday recorded a turnout of 60.95 per cent. The seat fell vacant after the death of AAP MLA Kashmir Singh Sohal in June. Those in the fray include AAP’s Harmeet Singh Sandhu, Congress candidate Karanbir Singh Burj, the BJP’s Harjit Singh Sandhu, Shiromani Akali Dal nominee Sukhwinder Kaur Randhawa and Independent candidate Mandeep Singh.

In Jammu and Kashmir, counting began for the Budgam assembly bypoll at the Government Higher Secondary School in Budgam. The constituency recorded a voting percentage of 50.01 per cent from around 1.26 lakh registered voters in the bypoll held on Tuesday. The election was necessitated after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah vacated the seat, opting to retain Ganderbal. Seventeen candidates are contesting, including the National Conference’s Aga Syed Mehmood, the PDP’s Aga Muntazir, the BJP’s Syed Mohsin, the Awami Ittehad Party’s Nazir Ahmad Khan, the Aam Aadmi Party’s Deeba Khan and Independent candidate Muntazir Mohiuddin.

(With inputs from PTI)