Bypoll results: BJP wins 3 Assembly seats, leads in 3; Cong ahead in K’taka

Counting of votes began on Thursday for the recently-held bypolls across 10 Assembly constituencies in eight states – Delhi, Karnataka, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Assam and Madhya Pradesh.

Most of the results will be out by noon, said an election official.

Elections were held on Sunday in Rajouri Garden (Delhi), Litipara (Jharkhand), Nanjangud and Gundlupet (Karnataka), Dholpur (Rajasthan), Kanthi Dakshin (West Bengal), Ater and Bandhavgarh (Madhya Pradesh), Bhoranj (Himachal Pradesh) and Dhemaji (Assam).

Ruling Congress in Karnataka was leading over its principal rival BJP in both the assembly constituencies. Congress’ Kalale N Keshavamurthy was leading by over 15,000 votes against former Minister V Srinivas Prasad of BJP in Nanjangud and in Gundlupet, Geeta Mahadeva Prasad (Cong) was ahead by over 4,500 votes against BJP’s C S Niranjanakumar, electoral officials said. Both the seats were held by the Congress.

While the counting is still underway, BJP’s BS Yeddyurappa conceded defeat, saying, “We bow our heads and accept the decision of the people.”

Bypolls were necessitated in Gundulpet following the death of Cooperation Minister Mahadeva Prasad and in Nanjangud due to the resignation of Srinivas Prasad as Congress MLA after he was dropped from the ministry.

The outcome of the clash of Titans in Nanjangud and Gundlupet Assembly constituencies could well change the dynamics of politics ahead of next year’s elections to the Legislative Assembly.

Latest trends indicate BJP is ahead in six of the ten assembly constituencies — Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Jharkhand and Himachal Pradesh.

Current trends:

Karnataka: Congress’ Kalale N Keshavamurthy wins Nanjangud seat with a margin 21334 votes; party leading in Gundlupet.

Delhi: BJP wins Rajouri Garden Assembly bypoll by over 14,500 votes. Congress finishes second, AAP a distant third.

West Bengal: Trinamool Congress candidate Chandrima Bhattacharya wins from Kanthi Dakshin.

Himachal Pradesh: BJP’s Anil Dhiman wins Bhoranj seat by a margin of 8290 votes.

Assam: BJP’s Ranoj Pegu defeats Congress’ Babul Sonowal by over 9000 votes from Dhemaji.

Madhya Pradesh: BJP retains Bandhavgarh Assembly seat after defeating rival Congress by margin of over 25,000 votes; leading in Ater.

Jharkhand: JMM leaves rivals behind with 5,438 votes after seven rounds of counting in Litipara.

Rajasthan: BJP’s Shobha Rani Kushwaha leads by 12,427 votes after five rounds of counting in Dholpur seat.

Repolling is underway in 38 booths of Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency today after the Election Commission order following violence in the April 9 by-election, in which 8 people were killed in clashes with security forces.

Delhi’s Rajouri Garden Assembly constituency fell vacant after Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Jarnail Singh quit to fight for the Punjab Assembly elections in February.

Voter-verifiable paper audit trails (VVPATs) are being used at all the 166 polling stations of the west Delhi constituency, following the AAP’s allegations that the EVMs were tampered with.