<p>AAP candidate Sushil Rinku is inching towards victory in the Jalandhar Lok Sabha bypoll with a margin of more than 48,000 votes over his nearest rival and Congress nominee Karamjit Kaur Chaudhary, according to the latest trends.</p>.<p>Out of 8.87 lakh votes polled, counting of more than 7.10 lakh votes has been completed so far, the trends on the Election Commission website showed.</p>.<p>Aam Aadmi Party supporters were already in celebratory mood in Jalandhar as they were confident of victory of their candidate Rinku.</p>.<p>Rinku has so far polled 2,43,285 votes, while Chaudhary has secured 1,94,805 votes.</p>.<p>BJP nominee Inder Iqbal Singh Atwal was at the third spot, while Shiromani Akali Dal candidate Sukhwinder Kumar Sukhi, who is also backed by the Mayawati-led BSP, was at the fourth third spot, the trends showed.</p>.<p>Atwal so far polled 1,20,913 votes and Sukhi 1,13,534 votes.</p>.<p>The bypoll, voting for which was held on May 10, was necessitated following the death of Karamjit Kaur's husband and Congress MP Santokh Singh Chaudhary in January.</p>.<p>Nineteen candidates contested the bypoll, which recorded a voter turnout of 54.70 per cent. The turnout was well below the 63.04 per cent recorded in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.</p>.<p>The ruling AAP is hoping to mark its presence in the Lok Sabha by registering a victory in the bypoll. A win will be a boost for the party, which had faced a drubbing in the Lok Sabha bypoll in Sangrur, just three months after it stormed to power in March 2022.</p>.<p>The bypoll is also being seen as a test of the Bhagwant Mann-led government, which has been promoting its schemes to provide free electricity and jobs to the youths and regularise services of contractual employees and open mohalla clinics among others.</p>.<p>The Congress is looking to retain Jalandhar -- considered to be a traditional stronghold for the party -- where it has remained undefeated seat since 1999.</p>.<p>The stakes are also high for the BJP and the SAD. The two parties were allies in Punjab before the SAD broke off ties over the now-repealed farm laws in 2020.</p>
<p>AAP candidate Sushil Rinku is inching towards victory in the Jalandhar Lok Sabha bypoll with a margin of more than 48,000 votes over his nearest rival and Congress nominee Karamjit Kaur Chaudhary, according to the latest trends.</p>.<p>Out of 8.87 lakh votes polled, counting of more than 7.10 lakh votes has been completed so far, the trends on the Election Commission website showed.</p>.<p>Aam Aadmi Party supporters were already in celebratory mood in Jalandhar as they were confident of victory of their candidate Rinku.</p>.<p>Rinku has so far polled 2,43,285 votes, while Chaudhary has secured 1,94,805 votes.</p>.<p>BJP nominee Inder Iqbal Singh Atwal was at the third spot, while Shiromani Akali Dal candidate Sukhwinder Kumar Sukhi, who is also backed by the Mayawati-led BSP, was at the fourth third spot, the trends showed.</p>.<p>Atwal so far polled 1,20,913 votes and Sukhi 1,13,534 votes.</p>.<p>The bypoll, voting for which was held on May 10, was necessitated following the death of Karamjit Kaur's husband and Congress MP Santokh Singh Chaudhary in January.</p>.<p>Nineteen candidates contested the bypoll, which recorded a voter turnout of 54.70 per cent. The turnout was well below the 63.04 per cent recorded in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.</p>.<p>The ruling AAP is hoping to mark its presence in the Lok Sabha by registering a victory in the bypoll. A win will be a boost for the party, which had faced a drubbing in the Lok Sabha bypoll in Sangrur, just three months after it stormed to power in March 2022.</p>.<p>The bypoll is also being seen as a test of the Bhagwant Mann-led government, which has been promoting its schemes to provide free electricity and jobs to the youths and regularise services of contractual employees and open mohalla clinics among others.</p>.<p>The Congress is looking to retain Jalandhar -- considered to be a traditional stronghold for the party -- where it has remained undefeated seat since 1999.</p>.<p>The stakes are also high for the BJP and the SAD. The two parties were allies in Punjab before the SAD broke off ties over the now-repealed farm laws in 2020.</p>