MP bypolls: BJP takes lead in Khandwa Lok Sabha seat

Counting of votes began on Tuesday morning for bypolls in three Assembly seats and Khandwa Lok Sabha constituency of Madhya Pradesh, an official said. The bye-elections were held on October 30.

In the Khandwa Lok Sabha seat, BJP candidate Gyaneshwar Patil was leading by 2,033 votes over his Congress rival Rajnarayan Singh Purni after the first round, the official said. The counting of votes began at 8 am on Tuesday amid tight security, he said.

As per a release issued by the MP Chief Electoral Officer on Monday evening, taking out victory processions during the counting of votes or after the announcement of results is not allowed. Returning officers will hand over the certificate to winning candidates, accompanied by two people.

On the eve of the counting of votes, the ruling BJP and opposition Congress claimed they will sweep all the four bypolls — in the Assembly segments of Jobat (reserved for ST) in Alirajpur district, Prithvirpur in Niwari district and Raigaon (reserved for SC) in Satna district, and the Khandwa Lok Sabha seat.

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The Khandwa Lok Sabha constituency and Raigaon Assembly seat were held by the BJP, while Jobat and Prithvipur Assembly seats were with the Congress.

A total of 48 candidates were in the fray in these four constituencies where bye-elections were necessitated due to the death of sitting MLAs and an MP. The three assembly constituencies had recorded an average of 65.32 per cent polling while the Khandwa seat saw a voter turnout of 63.88 per cent.

In Khandwa, the BJP fielded former district panchayat president Gyaneshwar Patil, denying the ticket to Harshvardhan Chauhan, the son of sitting MP Nand Kumar Singh Chauhan whose demise necessitated the bypoll. The Congress fielded former MLA Rajnarayan Singh Purni.

In Jobat, Sulochana Rawat was the BJP's nominee against Congress candidate Mahesh Patel. The seat fell vacant due to the death of sitting Congress legislator Kalawati Bhuria. Rawat, a former MLA, joined the BJP recently after quitting Congress. She had won from Jobat on Congress's ticket in 1998 and 2008.

In the Raigaon seat, the BJP fielded Pratima Bagri, the daughter-in-law of MLA Jugal Kishore Bagri whose death necessitated the bypoll. She faced Congress' Kalpana Verma. Verma was defeated by Jugal Kishore Bagri in 2018.

In Prithvipur, the BJP fielded former Samajwadi Party leader Shishupal Singh against Congress's Nitendra Rathore, the son of former minister Brajendra Singh Rathore whose death caused the bypoll.

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