BJP wins all 8 seats in Gujarat, secures majority in Madhya Pradesh assembly

Update at 9:16 pm

BJP retains 6 UP seats, SP bags one

The BJP retained six seats and the SP hung on to its Malhani constituency in the bypolls for seven assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh, the 6:1 outcome indicating Tuesday that the ruling party continued its hold over the populous state.

BJP candidate Sangeeta Chauhan won in Naugawan Sadat, Usha Sirohi in Bulandshahr, Prem Pal Dhangar in Tundla, Shrikant Katiyar in Bangarmau, Satya Prakash Mani Tripathi in Deoria and Upendra Nath Paswan in Ghatampur, according to the Election Commission.

Samajwadi Party’s Lucky Yadav won Malhani, the seat which was represented by his father Parasnath Yadav, whose death necessitated the by-election. He defeated independent candidate Dhananjay Singh by 4,632 votes.

A tough see-saw battle was fought for the Naugawan Sadat seat held earlier by Chetan Chauhan, the former cricketer who was a minister in Yogi Adityanath’s BJP government.

SP’s Javed Abbas, who was trailing in the morning pushed his BJP rival, Chetan Chauhan’s wife Sangeeta Chauhan, to the second spot by 3,314 votes for a while. The BJP candidate at one point had a slim 175-vote lead, but later cruised ahead to win by 15,077 votes.

BJP candidate Satyaprakash Mani Tripathi won Deoria, defeating SP’s Brahma Shankar Tripathi by 20,089 votes.

Unnao’s Bangermau seat also went to the ruling party with Shrikant Katiyar defeating Congress candidate Arti Bajpai by 31,398 votes.

In Bulandshahr, BJP’s Usha Sirohi defeated Bahujan Samaj Party’s Mohammad Yunus by 21,072 votes. Her party colleague Upendra Nath Paswan won against Congress candidate Kripa Shankar by 23,820 votes in Ghatampur.

BJP’s Prempal Singh Dhangar defeated SP’s Mahraj Singh Dhangar by 17,683 votes in Tundla.

The bypolls for the seven UP seats recorded a voter turnout of 53 per cent on November 3, with 88 candidates in the fray.

The Naugawan Sadat seat fell vacant after the death of minister Chetan Chauhan, who succumbed to COVID-19. The Ghatampur constituency in Kanpur Nagar district was held by another minister, Kamal Rani Varun, who too died of the same cause.

The Tundla seat fell vacant after its MLA S P Singh Baghel was elected to the Lok Sabha. The Bangarmau seat in Unnao was vacated by BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar after his conviction in a rape case.

The bypolls to the Bulandshahr and Deoria seats were necessitated by the deaths of BJP MLAs Virendra Singh Sirohi and Janmejay Singh.

Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad’s Azad Samaj Party had fielded Mohammad Yameen from Bulandshahr to test its electoral popularity.

The Bulandshahr seat had the highest number of 18 candidates, while Ghatampur seat had the lowest of six.

Sixteen candidates were in the fray in Malhani, 14 each in Naugawan Sadat and Deoria and 10 each in Bangarmau and Tundla.

With the BJP and the SP retaining their seats, the 403-member assembly will now again have 310 MLAs from the BJP and 49 from the SP.

The House also has 18 members from the BSP, nine from Apna Dal (Sonelal), seven from Congress, four from Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party and five MLAs who are independents or belong to smaller parties.

The Allahabad High Court had asked the Election Commission to also hold bypolls in Suar after annulling the election of Abdullah Azam Khan, son of SP MP Mohammad Azam Khan, ruling that he was underage.

But the Supreme Court recently stayed its directions.

Update at 8:54 pm

Jharkhand assembly by-polls: JMM, Congress retain seats with reduced margin

The JMM-led ruling coalition of Jharkhand retained the Dumka and Bermo assembly seats in by- elections defeating the BJP, albeit with drastically reduced margins from that of the 2019 state polls.

JMM candidate Basant Soren, who is the younger brother of Chief Minister Hemant Soren, defeated his nearest BJP rival Lois Marandi, a former minister, by 6,842 votes, in Dumka seat, the Election Commission said while declaring the by-poll results on Tuesday.

The winning margin of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha reduced almost by half compared to what it was in last year’s assembly election.

In Bermo constituency, Kumar Jayamangal alias Anup Singh of the Congress defeated Yogeshwar Mahto “Batul”, his nearest BJP rival, by a margin of 14,225 votes.

Here also, the winning margin reduced by several thousands of votes.

In Dumka and Bermo seats, 12 and 16 candidates were in the fray respectively. Barring the nominees of the JMM, Congress and the BJP, all other contestants lost their deposits in the two constituencies.

In the assembly elections held late last year, Hemant Soren won from two seats - Dumka and Barhait. He resigned from Dumka and retained Barhait, necessitating the by-poll.

He had then defeated Marandi by 13,188 votes and this time, his brother managed to win with a margin of 6,842 votes.

Basant Soren polled 80,559 votes while Marandi secured 73,717 votes.

The by-poll in Bermo followed the death of sitting Congress MLA Rajendra Singh and the party fielded his son Anup Singh in the seat. The BJP renominated Yogeshwar Mahto, who had won from the constituency in the 2014 assembly polls but lost in 2019.

The Congress had won the seat with a margin of 25,172 votes last year and it reduced to 14,225 votes this time.

The Congress nominee got 94,022 votes, while Mahto bagged 79,797 votes.

During counting, the Congress nominee was leading from the very beginning in Bermo. However, in Dumka, the chief minister’s brother was trailing till the 11th round, but started winning from the 12th and finally emerged victorious.

State Joint Chief Electoral Officer Hiralal Mandal said Covid-19 safety protocols were strictly followed during counting. - PTI

Update at 8:27 pm

HAM president Jitan Ram Manjhi wins Imamganj seat by a margin of 16,034 votes: Election Commission.

Update at 8:10 pm

Congress wins Marwahi assembly bypoll in Chhattisgarh

The ruling Congress won the Marwahi Assembly bypoll in Chhattisgarh on Tuesday, an election official said.

Bypoll was necessitated for this seat, reserved for Scheduled Tribes (ST), by the death of its MLA and Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (J) founder Ajit Jogi on May 29.

Congress candidate Dr K K Dhruw won the bypoll to the constituency, located in Gaurela-Pendra-Marwahi (GPM) district, by 38,197 votes.

He defeated the BJP’s Dr Gambheer Singh. Dhruw polled 83,561 votes while Singh secured 45,364 votes, the official said.

Voting had been held on November 3 and the turnout was 77.89 per cent.

It was for the first time since Ajit Jogi won the Marwahi seat in 2001 that no member of his family was in the fray, as the election authority rejected the nomination papers of his son, JCC (J) president Amit Jogi, and Amit’s wife Richa Jogi for invalid caste certificates.

With this victory, the tally of the Congress in the 90-member assembly has gone up to 70.

The BJP has suffered a third consecutive defeat in assembly bypolls held after the 2018 assembly elections.

Last year, the Congress had won bypolls in Dantewada and Chitrakot seats.

The strength of the BJP in the state assembly is 14, while the JCC(J) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) have four and two MLAs, respectively.

In the 2018 Assembly polls, Ajit Jogi, a former chief minister, had polled 74,041 votes in Marwahi, beating the BJP’s Archana Porte by 46,462 votes, with the Congress coming in third.

Update at 7:54 pm

BJP sweeps assembly bypolls in Gujarat, wins all 8 seats

In a clean sweep, the ruling BJP on Tuesday won all the eight assembly seats in Gujarat where by-elections were held, dealing a blow to the opposition Congress which had bagged these constituencies in 2017.

The BJP’s tally in the 182-member Assembly has now reached 111.

The Congress, disappointed by the results, said they had expected voters will teach a lesson to party MLAs who resigned and switched sides.

Eight Congress MLAs had resigned before the Rajya Sabha elections in Gujarat, and five of them, who were given tickets by the BJP, their new party, won on Tuesday.

Despite switching sides, voters of their constituencies reposed faith in these five leaders and sent them to the Assembly.

They are Pradhyumansinh Jadeja (who won from Abdasa seat), Brjesh Merja (Morbi), Akshay Patel (Karjan), Jitu Chaudhari (Kaprada) and J V Kakadiya (Dhari).

In Abdasa in Kutch district, a seat having a sizable number of Muslim voters, BJP’s Jadeja defeated his closest rival, Shantilal Senghani of the Congress, by a margin of 36,778 votes, said the Election Commission on Tuesday evening.

While Jadeja, who won this seat on a Congress ticket in 2017, secured 71,848 votes, Senghani bagged only 35,070.

Independent candidate Hanif Padyar put up a good fight and polled 26,463 votes.

In a closely-contested bypoll on the Morbi seat in Morbi district, BJP’s Merja defeated Congress candidate Jayantilal Patel by a margin of 4,649. While Merja received 64,711 votes, Patel got 60,062.

In the 2017 assembly polls, Merja, as the Congress candidate, had defeated five-time BJP MLA Kantilal Amrutiya.

On the Karjan seat in Vadodara district, BJP’s Akshay Patel won by a margin of 16,425 votes. While Akshay Patel garnered 76,958 votes, Congress candidate Kiritisinh Jadeja got 60,533.

On the Limbdi seat in Surendranagar district, former minister Kiritsinh Rana of the BJP, who lost in 2017, won with a comfortable margin of 32,050 votes. He defeated Congress’ Chetan Khachar.

On the Dhari seat in Amreli district, BJP’s JV Kakadiya defeated Congress’ Suresh Kotadiya with over 17,209 votes.

On the Scheduled Tribe-reserved Dangs seat, BJP candidate Vijay Patel was declared winner by the EC.

Vijay Patel defeated Congress’ Suryakant Gavit with a huge margin of 60,095 votes, the highest amongst all bypolls seats.

On the Kaprada (ST) seat in Valsad district, BJP’s Chaudhari defeated Babu Patel of the Congress. Chaudhari’s winning margin was 47,066 votes.

On the Gadhada (SC) seat in Botad district, BJP’s Dalit leader and former minister Atmaram Parmar, who had lost in the last election, defeated Mohan Solanki of the Congress with a comfortable margin of over 22,595 votes.

Jubilant over the BJP victory, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani termed the results as a “trailer” for the upcoming local bodies elections as well as the 2022 Assembly elections in Gujarat and said the voters rejected the Congress’s negative campaign.

“Today the BJP is victorious across the country, whether is is Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh or Gujarat.

“Everywhere it is the result of work done by the central government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and people’s support and trust in the BJP,” Rupani said in his first reaction after the trends showed the BJP was heading towards victory in all the seats.

Thanking the voters for coming out in large numbers to support the BJP despite the coronavirus pandemic, Rupani said the seats, where by-elections were held, were spread across Gujarat and had areas dominated by Muslims, Adivasis, Kolis and Patidars and members of other castes.

“In all these areas, the BJP has received a huge lead.

The BJP got many times more votes compared to the Congress.

“As I said earlier, these by-elections will prove to be the last nail in the Congress’s coffin,” Rupani said.

Gujarat Congress President Amit Chavda conceded party’s defeat.

He said the party accepted the people’s verdict though it was contrary to its expectation that they will teach a lesson to the BJP for indulging in horse-trading and using money power.

In the past, the BJP has repeatedly rejected Congress allegations of horse-trading and using money power to achieve political ends.

“Voters are supreme in a democracy. We accept their verdict. But it was contrary to our expectation that people will teach a lesson to the BJP for indulging in horse-trading using money and muscle power...

“Primary reason for our defeat is the BJP’s policy of ‘sham, dam, dand, bhed’ (manipulation, use of money, harassment, blackmail), its misuse of power and administration, money, its hunger for power without care for any democratic values,” said Chavda at a press conference. (PTI)

Update at 7:48 pm

MP bypolls: BJP’s Mahendra Singh Sisodia, Kasdekar win

Jyotiraditya Scindia’s loyalist and state minister Mahendra Singh Sisodia of the BJP won byelection from Bamori in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday by 53,153 votes, officials said.

Sisodia defeated Congress’ Kanhaiya Lal Agrawal, a former BJP leader and minister. Sisodia got 1,01,124 votes against his Congress rival’s 47,971 votes.

Sisodia had quit the Congress in March this year to join the BJP.

The BSP’s Ramesh Dawar got 5,391 votes, while NOTA cornered 2,058 votes.

The BJP’s Sumitradevi Kasdekar won from Nepanagar by a margin of 26,340 votes. She defeated the Congress’ Ramkishan Patel.

Kasdekar got 98,881 votes against Patel’s 72,541.

BSP’s Bhalsingh got 3,051 while NOTA cornered 2,736 votes. (PTI)

Update at 7:40 pm

BJP retains Bulandshahr seat, its candidate Usha Sirohi trounces nearest rival Mohammad Yunus (BSP) by 21,702 votes.

Update at 7:38 pm

BJP retains Ghatampur seat, its candidate Upendra Nath Paswan defeats nearest rival Kripa Shankar (Congress) by 23,820 votes

Update at 7:15 pm

With 9 seats already in kitty, BJP gets simple majority in MP

With the BJP winning nine out of the 28 assembly seats in bypolls in Madhya Pradesh so far on Tuesday, the ruling party has already attained a simple majority in the 230-member house.

The BJP is leading in 10 other seats. The BJP’s current strengthin the MP assembly is 107 and nine more seats take it to the simple majority mark of 116. The effective strength of the 230-member house is 229.

According to Election Commission data, the BJP has so far won nine seats - Bamori, Ashok Nagar, Mungaoli, Anuppur, Sanchi, Mandhata, Nepanagar, Badnawar and Suwasara.

On the other hand, the opposition Congress has so far won one seat Biaora - and was leading in eight others.

By-elections were held on 28 constituencies - 25 of which fell vacant due to resignations by sitting Congress MLAs who joined the BJP earlier this year. The remaining three seats were unrepresented due to death of sitting MLAs.

Update at 7:11 pm

UP: BJP wins Unnao’s Bangermau assembly seat by 31,398 votes

The BJP retained the Unnao’s Bangermau assembly seat after its candidate Shrikant Katiyar defeated Congress’ Arti Bajpai by 31,398 votes.

Bangermau is among the seven assembly constituencies in the state for which bypolls were held on November 3.

The seat fell vacant following the conviction of sitting MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar in a rape case. (PTI)

Update at 7:05 pm

Baroda bypoll: Cong retains seat, BJP’s Yogeshwar Dutt loses

The opposition Congress on Tuesday retained the Baroda assembly seat after its candidate Indu Raj Narwal defeated BJP nominee and Olympian wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt by a margin of 10,566 votes. This is the second time that Dutt has lost from the constituency.

In the 2019 assembly poll, he had lost by about 4,800 votes to Congress candidate Krishan Hooda.

The Baroda bypoll was necessitated following the death of Hooda in April. He had won the constituency thrice in 2009, 2014 and 2019.

According to officials, Narwal polled 60,636 votes, while Dutt got 50,070 votes.

Indian National Lok Dal nominee Joginder Singh Malik polled 5,003 votes while Loktantra Suarkasha Party candidate Raj Kumar Saini got 5,601 votes.

As many as 468 voters opted for NOTA (none of the above) option in the bypoll, according to the Election Commission data.

The Congress secured a vote share of 49.28 per cent in the bypoll held on November 3, followed by the ruling BJP at 40.70 per cent and INLD at 4.07 per cent, the data showed.

As counting of votes began at 8 am, Narwal took the lead over his nearest rival Dutt and out of 20 rounds of counting, he remained ahead in 15, thus maintaining a solid overall lead.

Dutt accepted the verdict of the people and thanked them for their support. He also congratulated Narwal for the win.

"I accept the verdict of Baroda constituency," he said in a tweet.

Haryana Congress chief Kumari Selja said, with their decision, the people of Baroda have given a befitting reply to anti-farmer and anti-labour forces.

"The victory of Indu Raj Narwal is a win for farmers and labourers. I assure residents of Baroda that the Congress will live up to their expectations," tweeted Selja. "We have been saying from day one that it will be a one-sided contest in favour of the Congress and you are seeing it now," said Selja.

The Baroda bypoll was a direct contest between the BJP and Congress. The poll outcome of Baroda bypoll has come as a big setback for the BJP-JJP alliance government in the state, which has been facing the ire of farmers over the three central farm laws.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala and other senior leaders had aggressively canvassed for Dutt.

To counter opposition party’s criticism of the farm laws, Khattar had even announced that he would quit politics if the minimum support price (MSP) system was dismantled while accusing the Congress of “misleading” farmers over this issue.

The victory for the Congress nominee will help Hooda emerge as an undisputed leader in the state unit of the party.

Two-time chief minister Hooda along with his son Deepender Hooda had campaigned for Narwal and had launched a blistering attack on the Khattar-led dispensation over several issues including farm laws.

The INLD, for which the bypoll was equally important, remained at the fourth spot.

Baroda was a reserved seat till 2005 and a pocket borough of the INLD before the Congress won it for three consecutive terms starting in 2009.

The BJP had won 40 of the 90 assembly seats in 2019 and later formed the government with JJP’s support, which had won 10 seats.

The poll outcome will have no bearing on the number of 90-member Haryana Assembly.

The BJP’s tally will remain at 40, while the Congress party number will remain unchanged at 31 as the seat was held by Hooda. The INLD has one seat. (PTI)

Update at 6:54 pm

MP bypolls: ministers Prabhuram Choudhary, Bisahulal Singh win

Madhya Pradesh health minister Dr Prabhuram Choudhary on Tuesday won the Assembly bypoll from Sanchi by 63,809 votes, defeating Congress’ Madanlal Choudhary, an official said.

Another minister, senior tribal leader Bisahulal Singh won from Anuppur with a margin of 34,864 by defeating Congress’ Vishwanath Singh.

Both Choudhary and Bisahulal Singh had left the Congress in March this year.

Choudhary got 1,16,577 votes while his Congress rival bagged 52,768 votes in Sanchi.

In Anuppur, Bisahulal Singh got 75,600 votes, while his Congress opponent bagged 40,736 votes, the official said.(PTI)

Update at 6:50 pm

BJP retains Deoria seat in UP, its candidate Satyaprakash Mani Tripathi defeats Brahma Shankar Tripathi (SP) by 20,089 votes. PTI

Update at 6:44 pm

Shrikant Katiyar (BJP) wins bypolls to Bangermau assembly seat in UP defeating Arti Bajpai (Congress) by 31,398 votes. PTI

Madhya Pradesh health minister Dr Prabhuram Choudhary wins bypoll from Sanchi by 63,809 votes.

Update at 6.25 pm

MP bypolls: BJP’s Patel, minister Dung, Cong’s Dangi win

The BJP’s Narayan Patel won Assembly byelection from Mandhata in Madhya Pradesh by defeating the Congress’ Uttampal Singh by a margin of 22,129 votes, an election official said on Tuesday.

Counting for bypolls to 28 Assembly seats in the state started in the morning.

Patel got 80,394 votes while the Congress candidate got 58,265. The BSP’s Jitendra got 1,561 votes while 1,652 votes went to NOTA.

Narayan Patel had won the seat in 2018 on Congress ticket. He joined the BJP by resigning as MLA in March 2020.

Ramchandra Dangi of the Congress won from Biaora seat by defeating the BJP’s Narayan Singh Panwar by a margin of 12,102 votes.

Dangi got 95,397 votes while his BJPrival got 83,295 votes, the official said. The BSP’s Gopal Singh Bhilala got 2,237 votes while NOTA bagged 1,179.

BJP leader and state minister Hardeep Singh Dung won from Suwasara seat by defeating Rakesh Patidar of the Congress by a margin of 29,440 votes.

Dung got 1,17,955 votes while Patidar bagged 88,515 votes. The BSP’s Shankarlal Chouhan got 2,233 while NOTA option cornered 1,769 votes, election officials added. (PTI)

Updates at 6:18 pm

Odisha bypolls: BJD continues to lead in both assembly seats

Ruling BJD candidates widened their leads in both the assembly seats, where counting of votes polled in the November 3 by-elections is underway on Tuesday.

BJD’s Bijaya Shankar Das was leading over BJP candidate Rajkishore Behera by 27,665 votes in Tirtol seat in Jagatsinghpur district, they said.

Das polled 60,889 votes after 18 rounds of counting, while Behera has bagged 33,224 votes. Congress nominee Himanshu Bhushan Mallick has got 15,325 votes.

In Balasore, BJD nominee Swarup Kumar Das was leading over his nearest BJP rival Manas Kumar Dutta by 7,364 votes.

Das bagged 63,733 votes after 19 rounds of counting, while Dutta followed with 56,369 votes. Congress candidate Mamata Kundu was at third place with 4,027 votes.

The deaths of Balasore’s BJP MLA Madan Mohan Dutta and Tirtol’s BJD legislator Bishnu Charan Das necessitated the by-elections.

Manipur bypolls: BJP wins 1 seat, Independent 1

BJP candidate Oinam Lukhoi Singh won the by-election to the Wangoi seat, while Independent candidate Y Antas Khan bagged the Lilong seat in Manipur, officials said Tuesday.

BJP candidates Paonam Brojen Singh and Ngamthang Haokip were leading from Wangjing Tentha and Saitu seats respectively, they said.

Oinam Lukhoi Singh won the Wangoi seat by defeating his nearest rival Khuraijam Loken Singh of the National People’s Party by 257 votes, as per the ECI website.

In the Lilong seat, Y Antas Khan won by defeating his nearest rival Mohd Abdul Nasir by 3,078 votes.

Paonam Brojen Singh was leading over his nearest rival Moirangthem Hemanta Singh of the Congress by over 1,560 seats in the Wangjin Tentha seat.

In Saitu constituency, Ngamthang Haokip was ahead of his Congress rival Lamtinthang Haokip by 4,297 votes.

The by-polls held on November 7 were necessitated after Congress MLAs of these four seats resigned from the assembly and joined the ruling BJP.

The BJP contested in three seats and supported an Independent candidate in Lilong, while the Congress fielded its nominees in all the four constituencies. (PTI)

Jharkhand assembly by-polls: JMM, Congress retain seats

The JMM-led ruling coalition of Jharkhand retained Dumka and Bermo assembly seats in by- elections defeating the BJP, officials said on Tuesday, though the result was yet to be uploaded on the Election Commission website.

JMM candidate Basant Soren, who is the younger brother of Chief Minister Hemant Soren, defeated his nearest BJP rival Lois Marandi by around 6,500 votes, in Dumka constituency, District Election Officer Rajeshwari B said.

In Bermo, Kumar Jayamangal alias Anup Singh of the Congress defeated Yogeshwar Mahto “Batul”, his nearest BJP rival, by more than 14,000 votes, Bokaro District Election Officer Rajesh Kumar Singh said.

The state’s Joint Chief Electoral Officer Hiralal Mandal also confirmed the results. (PTI)

Nagaland bypolls: NDPP bags Southern Angami-I, Independent wins Pungro-Kiphire

Ruling NDPP nominee Medo Yhokha bagged the Southern Angami-I seat, while Independent candidate T Yangseo Sangtam won the by-elections to the Pungro-Kiphire assembly segment in Nagaland on Tuesday, officials said.

In the Southern Angami-I segment, Yhokha polled 4,773 votes, defeating his nearest rival -- Independent candidate Seyievilie Peter Zashumo -- by 598 votes, announced Returning Officer Mohammed Ali Shihab.

Zashumo received 4,175 votes and NPF nominee Kikovi Kirha got 2,575 votes, he said.

The by-election in the seat was held on November 3 as it fell vacant due to the death of MLA Vikho-o Yhoshu, who was also the speaker of the assembly.

Speaking to presspersons after the election result was announced, Yokha, a first-timer in electoral politics, said he will work to fulfill the commitments made to the people of six villages and one municipal area in the constituency.

“I will do my best to fulfill the promises and live up to the expectations of the people,” he said.

Yhokha, of Kigwema village in Kohima district, is the former president of the Angami Students’ Union and Angami Youth Organisation. He was also the press and information secretary of the Angami Public Organisation and chairman of the Inner Line Regulation Committee of Naga Students’ Federation.

Yhokha, 43, was also the public relations officer of Yhoshu until his death.

In Pungro-Kiphire, the ruling People’s Democratic Alliance (PDA) suffered a debacle as its BJP nominee Lirimong Sangtam stood in the third position.

T Yangseo Sangtam, who fought the election as an Independent, won the seat by a margin of 1,527 votes, an Election Commission official said.

Sangtam got 8,747 votes, defeating his nearest rival S Kiusumew Yimchunger, also an Independent, he said.

Yimchunger got 7,220 votes, while BJP’s Lirimong got 5,664 votes, he added.

Another Independent candidate, K Shellumthong Yimchuger, got 5,388 votes and Congress nominee Khaseo Anar could manage only 347 votes.

Yangseo, 39, hails from the Kiphire village. Sources close to him said that he is likely to extend support to the ruling coalition in the state.

Yangseo could not be reached for comments.

The bypoll in the seat was necessitated due to the death of NPF MLA T Torechu (PTI)

Gujarat bypolls: Two more Congress turncoats win on BJP tickets

The ruling BJP in Gujarat on Tuesday won byelections to Morbi and Karjan Assembly seats by defeating contestants of the opposition Congress, the Election Commission said.

The BJP has already won Abdasa seat. In a tight contest in Morbi seat, BJP’s Brijesh Merja emerged victorious against his nearest Congress rival Jayantilal Patel by a margin of 4,649 votes. Merja was polled 64,711 votes while Patel secured 60,062 votes.

In the 2017 assembly poll, Merja, who had contested on a Congress ticket, had defeated five-time BJP MLA Kantilal Amrutiya.

In Karjan constituency in Vadodara district, BJP’s Akshay Patel, also a Congress turncoat, won by a margin of 16,425 votes against Congress nominee Kiritisinh Jadeja.

Patel garnered 76,958 votes, while Jadeja could secure 60,533 votes.

In the remaining five seats, out of a total of eight constituencies for which byelections were held on November 3, the BJP has established a dominant lead. (PTI)

Madhya Pradesh update:

Brijendra Singh Yadav of BJP wins Assembly bypoll from Mungaoli seat in Madhya Pradesh by 21,469 votes.

Karnataka updates:

The ruling BJP has bagged the Sira assembly segment in Tumakuru district for the first time with party candidate CM Rajesh Gowda emerging the winner in the recent byelection.

Gowda defeated his closest Congress rival TB Jayachandra, a six-time MLA and former minister, by a margin of over 12,000 votes, officials said.

JD(S) that had won the seat in the 2018 assembly elections has been relegated to third place.

The by-poll has been necessitated in Sira following the death of JD(S) MLA B Sathyanarayana in August. Apparently eyeing sympathy votes, the JD(S) had fielded Ammajamma B, wife of Sathyanarayana.

This win will add another feather to his cap, with him being seen as Yediyurappa’s political heir, sources said.

BJP was a distant third in the 2018 assembly polls by securing only 16,959 votes in Sira.

UP updates:

The ruling BJP appeared set to retain six seats, while the Samajwadi Party may get re-elected from the one it held earlier as counting of votes in the bypolls for seven Uttar Pradesh Assembly constituencies continued on Tuesday.

BJP’s Usha Sirohi was leading in Bulandshahr, Prem Pal Dhangar in Tundla, Shrikant Katiyar in Bangarmau, Satya Prakash Mani Tripathi in Deoria, Upendra Nath Paswan in Ghatampur and Sangeeta Chauhan in Naugawan Sadat, according to the latest trends .

In Malhani, SP’s Lucky Yadav was ahead of independent candidate Dhananjay Singh by 5,705 votes. The seat was earlier with SP’s Lucky Yadav’s father Parasnath Yadav.

A tough contest was on for the Naugawan Sadat seat held earlier by Chetan Chauhan, the former cricketer who was minister in Yogi Adityanath’s BJP government. (PTI)

Karnataka update:

The BJP has won the Rajareshwari Assembly constituency in Karnataka by 58,113 votes, the Election Commission website shows. The BJP is leading in the other AC by election in the state.

In Madhya Pradesh the Mandhata AC has been won by the BJP by 22,129 votes. The party is leading in 20 other AC, the website shows. In Haryana, the Congress won the Baroda AC defeating the BJP rival by 10566 votes, according to the EC website

Gujarat update:

The results for the by-polls have started trickling in. The BJP has won three of the eight seats for which by-polls were held in Gujarat, as per the EC website. In Abdasa Assembly Constituency, the BJP candidate defeated the Congress rival by 3,6778 votes while in Morbi the BJP candidate won by 4,649 votes, the website shows. The BJP is leading in the five other seats for which by polls were held in the State, the website shows.

Manipur update:

BJP candidate Oinam Lukhoi Singh has won the by-election to the Wangoi seat, while Y Antas Khan, an Independent candidate supported by the saffron party, bagged the Lilong seat in Manipur, officials said on Tuesday. BJP candidates Paonam Brojen Singh and Ngamthang Haokip were leading from Wangjing Tentha and Saitu seats respectively, they said.

Oinam Lukhoi Singh won the Wangoi seat by defeating his nearest rival Khuraijam Loken Singh of the National People’s Party by 257 votes, as per the ECI website. In the Lilong seat, Y Antas Khan won by defeating his nearest rival Mohd Abdul Nasir by 3,078 votes.

Paonam Brojen Singh was leading over his nearest rival Moirangthem Hemanta Singh of the Congress by over 1,560 seats in the Wangjin Tentha seat. In Saitu constituency, Ngamthang Haokip was ahead of his Congress rival Lamtinthang Haokip by 4,297 votes. (PTI)

Telangana update:

The ruling TRS and opposition BJP were locked in a neck-and-neck contest in the Dubbak Assembly bypoll, and the saffron party has gained a slender lead of 240 votes after the completion of 20 rounds of counting of votes.

The BJP was ahead of the TRS in initial rounds, but the ruling party bounced back and secured a lead subsequently. The TRS was ahead by 251 votes after 19 rounds, but the BJP again managed to gain upper hand after the 20th round with 240 votes. The counting of votes is expected to be completed in 23 rounds. (PTI)

Updates: 3 pm

Data from the Election Commission website shows that the 'NOTA' button, or the None of the Above option, has been pressed by voters in all 11 States that went to polls.

NOTA accounted for 3.82 per cent of the votes counted till now in the Valmiki Nagar Parliamentary constituency, while they accounted for 1.75 per cent of the votes counted till now in all the 243 AC in Bihar.

In Chhattisgarh, NOTA accounted for 2.60 per cent of all the votes counted till now, in Gujarat it accounted for 2.14 per cent of all the votes counted till now while this figure stood at 1.64 per cent of all the votes counted till now in Jharkhand, the website shows.

In the remaining eight States where by polls were held, the NOTA button was pressed less than 1 per cent of the voters. This figured varied  from 0.93 per cent of the votes counted till now in Madhya Pradesh to 0.37 per cent of the votes counted till now in the Dubbak constituency in Telangana.

The Supreme Court ruled that the right to register “None of the Above” vote in elections should apply in 2013 and ordered the EC to provide a button for this in the Electronic Voting Machines. NOTA is the last button in the EVM.

Updates: 2.14 pm

Madhya Pradesh

In Madhya Pradesh where by polls were held for 28 ACs, the BJP candidate is currently leading over his Congress rival by 31420 votes in Bamori AC while in Sanchi the BJP candidate is currently leading over his Congress rival by 31229 votes. '

In Agar AC the Congress candidate is currently ahead by 342 votes over the BJP rival. In Morena the Bahujan Samaj Party candidate is currently ahead by 7620 over the BJP candidate. In Gujarat in the Morbi AC the BJP candidate is currently ahead by 4173 votes over the Congress rival.

Gujarat

The BJP held sway over the party-ruled state with leads in all eight seats and the Congress trailing. A total of 60.75 per cent voter turnout was recorded in the bypolls held in Abdasa (Kutch), Limbdi (Surendranagar), Morbi (Morbi district), Dhari (Amreli), Gadhada (Botad), Karjan (Vadodara), Dang (Dang district) and Kaprada (Valsad).

Uttar Pradesh

In UP, the BJP leads in six AC with the Bulandshahr AC showing the BJP candidate is currently ahead by 13849 votes while in Malhani AC in the state the Samajwadi candidate is currently ahead of an Independent by 4707 votes.

Manipur

According to Election Commission trends, the BJP had won two seats and was leading in two with an Independent ahead in one. The by-elections were necessitated by Congress MLAs in four seats resigning from the Assembly and quitting the party to join the BJP.

Karnataka

In the Rajarajeshwari Nagar Assembly Constituency in Karnataka, the candidate of the Bharatiya Janata Party is currently leading by 53,480 votes over his Congress rival, the Election Commission website shows.

Jharkhand

The BJP was ahead in one seat and the Congress in the other. BJP’s Lois Marandi was leading in Dumka over Basant Soren, Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s brother. In Bermo, Congress nominee Anup Singh was ahead of BJP’s Yogeshwar Mahato.

Odisha

The state’s ruling Biju Janata Dal was ahead in both the Balasore and Tirtol seats for which by-elections were held. While state BJP general secretary Prithviraj Harichandan had claimed his party will win both as voters were “fed up with the ruling party , BJD leader DP Mishra said people voted as they are keen to see speedy development in their areas.

Chhattisgarh

In Chhattisgarh, the Congress candidate is currently ahead of the BJP rival by 19876 votes in the Marwahi AC.

Nagaland

Independent candidates were leading in the two assembly seats - Southern Angami-I in Kohima and Pungro-Kiphire in Kiphire district. The elections were necessitated following the deaths of the sitting legislators Vikho-o Yhoshu and T Torechu.

Telangana

In the Sira AC, the BJP candidate is currently leading by 7184 votes over his Congress rival. In Dubbak AC in Telangana, the BJP candidate has a lead currently of 4030 over the Congress candidate.

Haryana

Congress’ Indu Raj Narwal was ahead in the Baroda seat that had fallen vacant following the death of Krishan Hooda, who had won it in 2009, 2014 and 2019 assembly polls. Narwal was leading over his nearest rival and BJP nominee, Olympian wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt. (PTI and Our Bureau)

Karnataka update:

The ruling BJP has continued to maintain its lead over opposition Congress and JD(S) in the by-polls for two assembly constituencies in the State, poll officials said on Tuesday.

Votes polled in the November 3 by-elections to Sira in Tumakuru district and Rajarajeshwari Nagar (RR Nagar) in Bengaluru were taken up for counting at 8 am and the results are expected to be out in a few hours from now.

According to the Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer’s office, the trends show- BJP candidate was ahead with a margin of over 7,800 votes in Sira, while the party has maintained a lead with a margin of over 34,500 votes in RR Nagar.

BJP’s Dr C M Rajesh Gowda is leading with 37,808 votes in Sira, followed by Congress’ T B Jayachandra with 29,938.

In R R Nagar too BJP’s N Munirathana is leading with 73,932 votes, followed by Congress’ Kusuma H with 39,415. JD(S) is in third place here too with party candidate V Krishtramurthy so far securing 4,660 votes.

As the trends clearly showed BJP leading in both seats, the Chief Minister’s office released a video of Ministers R Ashoka, Basavaraj Bommai, Seiramulu, Byrathi Basavaraj and others greeting CM Yediyurappa with sweets.

The bypoll has been necessitated in Sira following the death of JD(S) MLA B Sathyanarayana in August, while RR Nagar seat here fell vacant due to disqualification of the then Congress MLA N Munirathna last year under anti-defection law.

(PTI)

Haryana update:

Olympian wrestler and BJP candidate Yogeshwar Dutt is trailing by a margin of 10,330 votes from the Baroda Assembly seat in Haryana after eleven rounds of counting, as per the Election Commission data. Congress candidate Indu Raj Narwal has continued to maintain a lead over Dutt, his nearest rival, as per initial trends.

After the completion of eleven rounds of counting, Narwal polled 35,301 votes while Dutt got 24,971 votes.

Indian National Lok Dal nominee Joginder Singh Malik polled 3,548 votes while Loktantra Suarkasha Party candidate Raj Kumar Saini got 3,241 votes.

The Baroda assembly seat fell vacant in April following the death of Congress MLA Shri Krishan Hooda, who had won it thrice consecutively in the 2009, 2014 and 2019 assembly polls. This poll is being seen as a direct contest between the ruling BJP and the Congress. The ruling BJP would like to register a victory from the Baroda seat which it never won while the Congress would like to retain it.

The Baroda bypoll is also a battle of prestige for former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda as this Jat-dominated constituency lies adjacent to his own Garhi-Sampla Kiloi seat in Rohtak and is considered his stronghold.

The bypoll is equally important for the INLD which had slumped to its worst-ever performance in the 2019 assembly polls when the party could win only one out of 90 seats.

The BJP had won 40 of the 90 assembly seats in 2019 and later formed the government with the JJP’s support, which had won 10 seats. A win in Baroda will take the saffron party’s tally to 41 while if Congress wins, its tally will remain unchanged at 31 as the seat was earlier held by it. The INLD’s strength will rise to two if they win the seat. (PTI)

MP update:

The ruling BJP in Madhya Pradesh is leading in 20 of the 28 Assembly constituencies for which by-elections were held, while the Congress is ahead in seven seats, as per the trends of counting on Tuesday. However, three ministers, Aidal Singh Kansana (Sumaoli), Girraj Dandotia (Dimani) and OPS Bhadoria (Mehgaon) are trailing.

BJP candidates are also ahead in Gwalior, Gwalior East, Dabra, Bhander, Pohari, Bamori, Ashok Nagar, Mugaoli, Surkhi, Bada Malhera, Anuppur, Sanchi, Agar, Hatpiplya, Mandhata, Nepanagar, Badnawar, Saver, Suwasara and Jaura seats.

The BSP is leading in Morena constituency. (PTI)

Manipur update:

BJP candidate Oinam Lukhoi Singh won the by-election to the Wangoi seat in Manipur, while saffron party candidates were leading from two other constituencies and an Independent from one, officials said.

Singh won the Wangoi seat defeating his nearest rival Khuraijam Loken Singh of the National People’s Party by 257 votes, as per the ECI website.

BJP candidates Paonam Brojen Singh and Ngamthang Haokip were leading from Wangjing Tentha and Saitu seats by over 1,560 and 2,799 votes.

Independent candidate Y Antas Khan was leading over his nearest Independent rival Mohd Abdul Nasir by 3,078 votes. (PTI)

Telangana Poll update:

The BJP is maintaining its lead over ruling TRS after the completion of seven rounds of counting of votes for Dubbak assembly by-poll in Telangana. BJP candidate M Raghunandan Rao is leading over his nearest TRS rival Solipeta Sujatha by 2,485 votes after seven rounds.

The counting of votes, which began at 8 am, is expected to be completed in 23 rounds. The bypoll, held on November 3, has been necessitated due to the death of sitting TRS MLA Solipeta Ramalinga Reddy in August this year due to health issues. (PTI)

Jharkhand Poll update:

BJP's Lois Marandi was leading over his nearest rival Basant Soren of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) by over 4,749 votes in Dumka seat, as per the ECI website.

In Bermo Assembly constituency, Congress nominee Anup Singh was ahead of his nearest rival BJP candidate Yogeshwar Mahto ‘Batul’ by 7,212 votes.

MP Poll update:

Three State Ministers are trailing behind their Congress rivals, even as the ruling BJP has taken a lead in 17 of the 28 Assembly constituencies, as per the trends of counting on Tuesday. Ministers Aidal Singh Kansana, Girraj Dandotia, and OPS Bhadoria are struggling in Sumaoli, Dimani and Mehgaon seats, respectively, where their Congress rivals have taken a lead.

The opposition Congress is ahead in nine seats out of the 27 constituencies for which trends are available. The BSP is leading in Morena seat.

A total of 355 candidates, including 12 ministers, contested the by-elections held on November 3. (PTI)

General update:

In the 28 Assembly constituencies that went for by polls in Madhya Pradesh, the BJP is leading in 18 seats, while the Congress leading in eight and the Bahujan Samaj Party is leading in 2, the EC shows.

In UP, the BJP is ahead in five seats and an Independent and SP candidate in one seat each.

In the Gujarat by-polls, the BJP is leading in all eight seats, while the party continues to maintain its leads in two seats in Karnataka and one in Telangana. In Jharkhand, the Congress is leading in one seats while the BJP is leading in the other, the EC website shows.

In Chhattisgarh and Haryana, the Congress continues to maintain a lead over the other candidates in the single AC going to polls in the two States. 

UP Polls update:

The BJP is now leading in five seats in UP, while the SP and an independent candidate are leading in one each as counting is underway.

SP’s Javed Abbas is leading from Naugawan Sadat, which was held by State Minister Chetan Chauhan. Abbas is leading by a margin of 4028 over BJP's Sangeeta Chauhan. In Malhani, independent Dhananjay Singh is leading over SP’s Lucky Yadav by a margin of about 1,236 votes.

In Bulandshahr, BJP’s Usha Sirohi is leading by a margin of 3,725 votes from BSP’s Mohd Yunus. In Tundla, BJP's Prempal Singh Dhanghar is leading by a margin of 2,890 votes from SP's Mahraj Singh Dhangar. In Bangarmau, BJP’s Shrikant Katiyar is leading by a margin of 7230 votes over SP’s Suresh Kumar Pal.

In Deoria, BJP’s Satyaprakash Mani Tripathi is leading by a margin of 2,403 votes over SP’s Brahma Shankar Tripathi. Meanwhile, in Ghatampur, BJP’s Upendra Nath Paswan has a slim lead of 807 votes over Kuldeep Shankhwar of BSP.  (PTI)

Manipur Polls update:

The ruling BJP in Manipur is ahead in two seats while the Congress and an Independent candidate were leading in one constituency each. The election for the bypolls were held on November 7.

BJP candidate Oinam Lukhoi Singh has a slim lead of 268 votes over his nearest rival Khuraijam Loken Singh of the National People’s Party in the Wangoi seat, according to early trends. In Saitu constituency, BJP's Ngamthang Haokip was ahead Congress' Lamtinthang Haokip by 1,827 votes, as per the ECI website.

Congress candidate Moirangthem Hemanta Singh is ahead of BJP's Paonam Brojen Singh by 675 votes in the Wangjing Tentha seat. In the Liong seat, Independent candidate Y Antas Khan was leading over his nearest rival Independent candidate Mohd. Abdul Nasir by 1,992 votes. (PTI)

Karnataka Polls:

In the by-polls in Karnataka, the BJP continues to lead in both the Rajarajeshwari and Sira Assembly Constituency (AC), the Election Commission shows.

In the Rajarajeshwari, the BJP candidate is leading by 19,772 votes over the Congress candidate. While in the Sira AC, the BJP candidate had a lead of 1488 votes.

In Dubbak Assembly constituency in Telangana, the BJP continues to lead.

Similarly, the BJP is leading 16 of the 25 Assembly constituencies in Madhya Pradesh with the Congress leading in eight and Bahujan Samaj Party in one. By elections were held for 28 Assembly constituencies in the state.

In Gujarat, the BJP is leading seven AC with the Congress leading in one AC, the website shows while in Haryana and Chhattisgarh the Congress is leading in each of the AC which went to polls.

In Jharkhand, the BJP is leading in both the AC while in Nagaland Independent candidates are leading in both the AC.

54 AC in 10 states went to polls along with the Bihar.

UP Polls update:

The BJP was leading in four seats and trailing in two others as counting of votes polled in seven Uttar Pradesh Assembly seats, where bypolls were held last week, progressed on Tuesday.

Of the seven seats, the BJP -- which held six -- is leading in four, while Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and Independent candidates in one each by margins varying from 1,000 to 2,000 votes.

BJP’s Usha Sirohi is leading in Bulandshahr, while Prem Pal Dhangar is leading from Tundla, Shrikant Katiyar from Bangarmau and Satya Prakash Mani Tripathi from Deoria. SP’s Javed Abbas is leading from Naugawan Sadat and BSP’s Kuldeep Shankhwar from Ghatampur. Independent Dhananjay Singh is leading from Malhani seat.

Significantly, the BJP is trailing in seats held by UP ministers Chetan Chauhan (Navgawan Sadat) and Kamla Rani Varun (Ghatampur), while the SP was trailing in Malhani. (PTI)

MP Polls update:

The ruling BJP in Madhya Pradesh is leading in 14 of the 28 Assembly constituencies for which byelections were held while the Congress is ahead in five seats, as per the early trends of counting on Tuesday.

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is leading in one seat.

BJP candidates are leading in 14 seats by a margin ranging from 96 to 5,668 votes, while the Congress contestants are ahead in Hatpipalya, Sumaoli, Ambah, Dimni, and Biora constituencies.

BSP’s Ram Prakash Rajoriya is leading by 2,178 votes from Morena, as per the Election Commission data.

Tulsiram Silawat of the BJP is leading by a margin of 5,668 votes from Sanver against his Congress rival.

BJP candidates are ahead in Badnawar, Mungaoli, Suwasara, Ashok Nagar, Bamori, Anuppur, Bada Malhara, Nepanagar, Surkhi, Gohad, Sanchi, Agar, and Mandhata. (PTI)

(PTI)

Counting votes--  MP, UP, Gujarat, Manipur

The BJP is leading in seven of the eight seats in the Gujarat Assembly and Congress is leading in one seat, the Election Commission website shows.

In Madhya Pradesh where by polls were held for 28 Assembly seats results are currently available for 13, wherein BJP is leading in 11 and the Congress in the remaining two seats.

In Uttar Pradesh, by elections were held for seven Assembly seats but currently trends are available for five seats with BJP leading in three, and the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party leading in one each.

In Manipur trends are available for one of the five Assembly constituencies where the Congress is currently leading while in Nagaland results are available for one of the two Assembly seats in which an Independent candidate is ahead.

In Odisha, the Biju Janata Dal is leading in one of the two Assembly constituency for which results are currently available.

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