Counting begins for Jind and Ramgarh assembly seats

Counting of votes began on Thursday for the Jind assembly seat in Haryana. It started at 8 am and the result was expected by afternoon, poll officials said in Chandigarh.

Voting for the bye-election took place on January 28 with nearly 76 per cent of the 1.72 lakh voters exercising their franchise in the multi-cornered contest.

The test was for all four major parties in the fray — the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress, Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and the newly launched Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) as both Lok Sabha and Assembly elections were to be held later this year.

The fate of the four main candidates, Randeep Singh Surjewala (Congress), Krishan Lal Middha (BJP), Umed Singh (INLD) and Digvijay Singh Chautala (JJP), will be decided.

The bye-election was necessitated after the death of two-time INLD legislator Hari Chand Middha, whose son is in the fray on a BJP ticket.

Counting of votes underway for Ramgarh polls in Rajasthan

Counting of votes for the Ramgarh assembly election in Rajasthan began Thursday amid tight security arrangements.

There will be a total of 20 rounds. Ballot papers will be counted first followed by counting of votes polled on electronic voting machines, officials said.

"Counting has commenced in Ramgarh," Chief Electoral Officer Anand Kumar said.

As many as 20 candidates contested the Ramgarh election on January 28. The election to the assembly seat which could not be held along with other constituencies due to the death of BSP candidate ahead of December 7 Rajasthan elections.

The seat, which was won by the BJP in the 2013 state elections, witnessed a triangular contest this time and ruling Congress, opposition BJP and BSP have exuded confidence of winning the seat.

"The Congress is going to win the seat. People gave mandate to the party in the December 7 elections and the Ramgarh seat too will be won by us," Rajasthan Congress president Sachin Pilot said.

BJP state president Madan Lal Saini said the party was hopeful of retaining the seat. "People have seen that the Congress government has failed to deliver on its promises. It had promised to waive farmers loan in 10 days, but more than 40 days have passed and nothing such has happened.

"Therefore, there was a negative response of people towards Congress and we hope that BJP will win the seat," Saini said.

In the December 7 polls, the Congress won 99 seats, RLD one, BJP 73, BSP six, RLTP three, and CPI (M) and BTP two each, and 13 independents emerged victorious in the state election.