Bypolls: Counting Of Votes In 3 LS, 29 Assembly Seats Tomorrow

Counting of votes will take place on Tuesday in three Lok Sabha and 29 assembly constituencies spread across 13 states and a Union Territory where bypolls were held on October 30.

Out of the 29 Assembly seats, the BJP had won in around half a dozen constituencies earlier, the Congress had nine, while the rest were with the regional parties.

The seats where Lok Sabha by-elections were held are Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, and Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh. In all the three Lok Sabha constituencies, the sitting members had died.

In Assam, the ruling BJP has fielded candidates in three seats during the bypolls leaving the other two to alliance partner UPPL. The Congress put up nominees in all five, while its former allies, the AIUDF and the BPF, are contesting in two and one seats respectively.

The bypolls were conducted in Gossaigaon, Bhabanipur, Tamulpur, Mariani, and Thowra seats.

Bypolls in Gossaigaon and Tamulpur were necessitated due to the death of the sitting MLAs, while the incumbents of Bhabanipur, Mariani, and Thowra resigned from their seats to join the ruling BJP. Elected MLAs Rupjyoti Kurmi and Sushanta Borgohain resigned from Congress and Phanidhar Talukdar from AIUDF and are now fighting on BJP tickets.

In Meghalaya, elections were held in Rajabala, Mawphlang and Mawryngkneng seats. The National People's Party (NPP) headed by Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma and the Congress fielded candidates in all three seats, the BJP, which is a constituent of the NPP-dominated Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA), has fielded a candidate in Rajabala. Former national footballer Eugeneson Lyngdoh is contesting the election from Mawphlang on a United Democratic Party (UDP) ticket. He is up against former Congress MLA Kennedy C Khyriem and a sitting member of the district council (MDC) from the NPP, Lamphrang Blah.

Counting of votes will also take place in the Tuirial assembly seat in Mizoram. The bypoll to the Tuirial was necessitated following the death of sitting Zoram People's Movement (ZPM) legislator Andrew H. Thangliana. There are four candidates in the fray – K. Laldawngliana of the ruling Mizo National Front, Laltlanmawia of the ZPM, Chalrosanga Ralte of the Congress and the BJP's K. Laldinthara.