Kolkata/Chennai/Guwahati: BJP candidates widened their leads in West Bengal’s Nandigram and Rejinagar Assembly bypolls, while the party’s Devashish Sharma was ahead of his nearest rival, AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal, in the Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election in Assam as counting progressed on Friday.
In Tamil Nadu, the AIADMK took the lead in Dharapuram and moved to second place in Madurantakam, where the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) candidate maintained the lead. In neighbouring Puducherry, the ruling AINRC candidate was ahead in Thattanchavady, according to election trends and official updates.
Nagaon: BJP’s Devashish Sharma Leads By Over 43,000 Votes
BJP candidate Devashish Sharma was leading by 43,418 votes over his nearest rival, AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal, in the Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election, officials said.
Sharma secured 92,345 votes, while Ajmal polled 48,927 votes. Congress candidate Sibamoni Bora was in third place with 12,982 votes.
Counting began at 8 am amid tight security, with postal ballots counted first, followed by votes recorded in electronic voting machines (EVMs).
The counting process is being conducted at Dawson Higher Secondary School and Nagaon Government Boys’ School, with 14 tables at each centre. Authorities have directed candidates and political parties to seek permission from the district administration before taking out any procession.
A total of 15 candidates are in the fray. The constituency recorded a voter turnout of 76.19 per cent in the October 6 bypoll.
The by-election was necessitated after Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi resigned and subsequently contested the Assembly elections from Dispur on a BJP ticket earlier this year. The result will not affect the balance of power in Parliament.
Nandigram: BJP’s Hasirani Rath Leads By 9,600 Votes
In West Bengal’s Nandigram Assembly constituency, BJP candidate Hasirani Rath was leading by 9,600 votes at the end of the first round of counting, while Congress nominee Milan Pradhan was in second place, according to trends shown by news channels.
The Election Commission was yet to release official figures confirming the leads.
Nandigram fell vacant after Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, who won both Nandigram and Bhabanipur in the Assembly elections earlier this year, retained the latter constituency. The BJP fielded Rath, the mother of his slain personal assistant Chandranath Rath.
Rejinagar: BJP’s Sakharav Sarkar Leads; Congress Second
In Rejinagar, BJP candidate Sakharav Sarkar secured 11,614 votes after the second round of counting. Congress candidate Mohammad Abdullahil Kafi was a distant second with 581 votes, while Aam Janata Unnayan Party candidate Gulam Nabi Azad polled 446 votes, according to trends shown by news channels.
The seat fell vacant after AJUP founder Humayun Kabir retained Naoda, where he had also won. His son, Gulam Nabi Azad, is contesting the bypoll.
Counting in both West Bengal constituencies began at 8 am under tight security. The bypolls, held on Tuesday, are being watched as an early electoral test of the state’s political landscape following the BJP’s victory in the Assembly elections earlier this year.
Dharapuram: AIADMK’s K Bhanumathi Takes Lead
In Tamil Nadu, AIADMK candidate K Bhanumathi took the lead in Dharapuram after three rounds of counting, securing 8,244 votes, according to the latest Election Commission update.
TVK candidate P Sathyabama was in second place with 7,434 votes, while DMK nominee S Sunganya trailed with 6,158 votes.
The initial rounds of EVM counting had indicated an early lead for the ruling TVK in both reserved constituencies. A total of 22 candidates are contesting in Dharapuram, where the key nominees include Bhanumathi, Sathyabama, Sunganya, CPI candidate P Lakshmanan and NTK candidate M Karthika.
Madurantakam: TVK Maintains Lead, AIADMK Moves To Second
In Madurantakam, TVK candidate Maragatham Kumaravel continued to lead, while AIADMK nominee Kanitha Sampath moved into second place, ahead of DMK candidate I Paranthaman.
Counting was briefly interrupted during the second round because of a technical glitch before resuming.
A total of 27 candidates are contesting the bypoll, including CPI(M) nominee P Suganthi and NTK candidate Janakiraman.
The Tamil Nadu bypolls are being closely watched as the first electoral test for the Vijay-led TVK government, which assumed office in May. The results are also significant for the DMK, which is contesting without the support of some of its erstwhile allies, including the Congress, VCK and Left parties.
The Left parties have fielded candidates despite their stated commitment to support the TVK government from outside. The AIADMK, which governed Tamil Nadu for more than three decades, is also seeking an electoral comeback.
The Assembly has 234 seats, with 118 required for a simple majority. Following the resignations of legislators, the effective strength of the House stands at 227.
TVK has 107 MLAs, including the Speaker, while the DMK has 59 and the AIADMK 41. The Congress has five MLAs, the PMK four, and the CPI, CPI(M), VCK and IUML have two each. The BJP, DMDK and AMMK have one MLA each.
Thattanchavady: AINRC Candidate Ashok Anand Ahead
In neighbouring Puducherry, ruling AINRC candidate Ashok Anand was leading in Thattanchavady with 6,950 votes at the end of two rounds of counting.
Congress candidate E Vinayagam secured 2,392 votes, while DMK nominee K Sethu Selvam polled 1,534 votes.
Eleven candidates are in the fray, with the contest primarily involving the ruling AINRC-led NDA, the Congress and its former ally DMK.
The bypolls in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry were necessitated by the resignation of incumbent MLAs, including Chief Minister N Rangasamy in the respective segments.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: deccanchronicle.com
