As the counting began, Madhya Pradesh looks on for the effect of Jyotiraditya Scindia factor in the changed political scenario in the State.
The BJP needs to win at least eight of the 28 seats in the Assembly by-polls to retain power and attain a simple majority in the 230-member Assembly, whose effective strength is 229. The bypoll results are also crucial for former Chief Minister Kamal Nath, who lost power in the State seven months ago when a section of Congress MLAs revolted against him after Mr. Scindia quit the party and joined the BJP.
Here are the live updates:
BJP ahead in 20 seats, Congress in 7
The BJP is leading in 20 seats while the Congress is leading in seven seats. The BSP is leading in one.
As per the Election Commission website, the BJP is now leading in 19 seats, the Congress in 8 and the BSP in one.
BJP leads in 20 seats, Congress ahead in seven
The ruling BJP in Madhya Pradesh is leading in 20 of the 28 Assembly constituencies for which byelections were held while the Congress is ahead in seven seats, as per the trends of counting. The BSP is leading in Morena constituency.
However, three Ministers in the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government including Aidal Singh Kansana (Sumaoli), Girraj Dandotia (Dimani) and OPS Bhadoria (Mehgaon) are trailing behind their Congress rivals. Mr. Bhadoria is trailing by only 175 votes.
Elsewhere, BJP candidates are leading in 20 seats by margins ranging from 181 votes (Agar) to 22,456 votes (Sanchi), while Congress contestants are ahead in Sumaoli, Dimni, Ambah, Mehgaon, Gohad, Karera and Biora constituencies.
Tulsiram Silawat of the BJP is leading by a margin of 9,554 votes from Sanver against his Congress rival.
- PTI
BJP ahead in 17 seats but three Ministers trailing
Three Ministers in the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government in Madhya Pradesh 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.
The opposition Congress is ahead in nine seats out of the 27 constituencies for which trends are available. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is leading in Morena seat, as per the Election Commission data.
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.
- PTI
BJP leading in 17 seats, Congress in 9
The BJP was leading in 17 seats and the Congress in nine in Madhya Pradesh, according to the Election Commission website. The BSP continues to lead in one seat.
- PTI
BJP candidates are leading in 14 seats by a margin ranging from around 90 to 5,600 votes, while the Congress contestants are ahead in Hatpipalya, Sumaoli, Ambah, Dimni, and Biora constituencies.
BJP candidates are ahead in Badnawar, Mungaoli, Suwasara, Ashok Nagar, Bamori, Anuppur, Bada Malhara, Nepanagar, Surkhi, Gohad, Sanchi, Agar, and Mandhata.
The BSP is leading in one seat.
BJP’s Tulsiram Silawat is leading from Sanver, while Rajvardhan Singh Dattigaon is ahead in Badnawar, Brajendra Singh Yadav from Mungaoli, Narayan Singh Pawar from Biora, Hardeep Singh Dung from Suwasara, and Jajpal Singh Jajji from Ashok Nagar against their rivals from the Congress.
Congress’ Vipin Wankhede and Rajendra Singh Baghel are ahead against their challengers from the BJP in Agar and Hatpipalya constituencies, respectively.
This is the first time in Madhya Pradesh that bypolls were held in as many as 28 Assembly seats in one go.
Bypolls to 25 of these seats were necessitated as the sitting Congress MLAs quit and joined the BJP and contested the bypolls as BJP candidates.
In the remaining three Assembly segments, bypolls were held due to deaths of the sitting legislators. One more Congress MLA resigned recently. - PTI
Counting under way
The counting began at 8 a.m. in 19 districts where the by-elections were held on November 3.
The Election Commission’s guidelines regarding COVID-19 will be in place so that counting agents do not assemble in large numbers at the counting centres, an official said.
A candidate, his poll agent and counting agent can remain present in the counting hall, as per the EC’s instructions. “Results can be displayed from the control unit on a big screen as per the EC’s directives,” the official said.
Heavy voter turnout in the State despite COVID-19 risks
Heavy voter turnout was recorded in the Madhya Pradesh byelection on Tuesday despite the COVID-19 pandemic, with the estimated voter turnout crossing 80% in four seats and the average turnout standing at 68.93% in the 28 seats until 7.30 p.m., the Election Commission of India said.
The turnout stood at 80.54% in Agar, 80.01% in Biaora, 80.84% in Hatpipliya, and 83.2% in Badnawar, the seats which fall outside the Gwalior-Chambal region and where even in the 2018 Vidhan Sabha election the turnout crossed 80%. The average turnout in the State stood at 75.05% in the previous election.
Political fortunes of Scindia, Kamal Nath at stake
The importance of the bypolls to 28 Assembly seats in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday goes beyond the simple arithmetic of redefining the majority numbers in the Assembly.
These polls not only have the potential of changing the government in the State, if the Congress manages to win all the seats, but will also change the standing of the leaders in their respective parties.
The math certainly works in favour of the Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led BJP government as it needs to win only nine seats in the 230-member Assembly to cross the halfway mark on its own, compared to 28 for the Congress.
But for the Congress party, still smarting from Jyotiraditya Scindia’s switchover to the BJP, the elections are also about making a dent in the Gwalior-Chambal region, believed to be a stronghold of the Scindias.