Bypolls in 3 Lok Sabha, 29 assembly seats: Key points

NEW DELHI: Counting of votes for bypolls held on October 30 in three Lok Sabha and 30 assembly constituencies spread across 14 states is under way. Many political big-wigs are in the fray and these bypolls will also give an indication of the public mood.
The seats where Lok Sabha bye-elections were held are Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Mandi in Himachal Pradesh and Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh. Of the 30 constituencies, five are in Assam, four in West Bengal, three each in Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Meghalaya, two each in Bihar, Karnataka and Rajasthan and one seat each is in Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra, Mizoram, Nagaland and Telangana.
Here are the key developments:
West Bengal
As the counting of the votes for by-elections on the Gosaba assembly seat in West Bengal began on Tuesday, the initial trends show Trinamool Congress (TMC) leading on all four assembly seats.
Following the voting for four assembly seats in West Bengal that took place on October 30, the by-poll results for these constituencies- Dinhata, Khardaha, Gosaba (SC), and Santipur will be announced today.
There is a tough fight between the BJP and the TMC for retaining the seats they had and capturing the other two.
Assam
Ruling BJP candidates are leading in Bhabanipur and Thowra assembly bypolls in Assam, according to initial trends available for two of the five seats where counting of votes is underway.
According to the Election Commission website, BJP's Phanidhar Talukdar was leading his nearest Congress rival Sailendra Nath Das by 7,839 votes in Bhabanipur. BJP nominee for Thowra seat Sushanta Borgohain was ahead of his Independent challenger Dhaijya Konwar by 2,524 votes.
The seats of Gossaigaon and Tamulpur fell vacant after the sitting MLAs died.
Karnataka
Counting of votes is underway for Sindgi and Hangal assembly constituencies in Karnataka. According to early trends, BJP and Congress are leading on one seat each.
The ruling BJP is trailing the opposition Congress in Karnataka's prestigious Hanagal Assembly constituency in the first nine rounds of counting with 4,719 votes, However, the BJP is inching towards victory in Sindagi constituency with a clear lead of 20,761 ballots. At the end of 16th round, the BJP managed a whopping lead of 20,761 votes and inching closer to the victory in Sindagi constituency in Vijayapura district.
An estimated 69.47 per cent voter turnout was recorded in Sindgi assembly constituency, while it was 83.76 per cent in Hangal segment. A total of 19 candidates are in the fray in the two constituencies, including six from Sindgi and 13 from Hangal.
Bihar
Counting of votes was underway on Tuesday for the two assembly seats in Bihar. According to early trends, Nitish Kumar's JD(U) and Lalu Prasad Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)are leading on one seat each.
Altogether 17 candidates are in the fray for the two seats - eight in Tarapur and nine in Kusheshwar Asthan.
Telangana
Counting of votes polled in the keenly-watched byelection to the Huzurabad assembly constituency in Telangana.
As per early trends, BJP's Eatala Rajender is leading with a margin of 166 votes. The counting would be conducted in 22 rounds, officials said. BJP candidate Eatala Rajender was leading over his nearest TRS rival Gellu Srinivas Yadav after three rounds of counting of votes in the Huzurabad assembly constituency bypoll in Telangana on Tuesday.
Haryana
INLD secretary general Abhay Singh Chautala has increased his lead over his nearest rival Gobind Kanda of the BJP, with a margin of 8,180 votes in the Ellenabad assembly constituency in Haryana.
There are 19 candidates in the fray, including Chautala, Congress nominee Pawan Beniwal and JJP backed BJP candidate Gobind Kanda. Gobind Kanda, the brother of Haryana Lokhit Party chief and legislator Gopal Kanda, joined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) last month.
Himachal Pradesh
The Congress is leading in Himachal Pradesh's Mandi parliamentary seat and three assembly seats of Fatehpur, Arki and Jubbai-Kothkai, according to available trends for the bypolls.
In Mandi parliamentary seat, late chief minister Virbhadra Singh's wife Pratibha Singh of the Congress is leading with 5,920 votes over her nearest rival, Kargil war hero Brigadier (retd) Khushal Thakur of the BJP.
After 12 rounds of counting in the Jubbal-Kotkhai assembly seat, Bragta is leading with 2,331 votes over his nearest rival Rohit Thakur (12,780) of the Congress. BJP candidate Neelam Seraik has so far got only 1,753 votes.
Madhya Pradesh
The BJP was leading in the Khandwa Lok Sabha constituency and three other Assembly constituencies in Madhya Pradesh as counting of votes for bypolls to the four seats was underway on Tuesday.
In the Khandwa Lok Sabha seat, BJP candidate Gyaneshwar Patil was leading by 14,365 votes over his Congress rival Rajnarayan Singh Purni, the official said.
From Raigon, BJP candidate Pratima Bagari bagged 5,973, while Congress candidate Kalpana Verma 5,754 votes.
Rajasthan
Congress candidates are headed towards victory in Dhariawad and Vallabhnagar assembly constituencies of Rajasthan where counting of votes is underway on Tuesday for the bypolls.
According to latest trends, Nagraj Meena is leading by a margin of 1,21,43 votes over BJP candidate Khet Singh Meena in Dhariawad while in Vallabhnagar, Preeti Shaktawat is ahead of Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) candidate Udailal Dangi by a margin of 6,501 votes.
Congress leaders said the people voted for the good governance of Ashok Gehlot government while the BJP said division of votes caused a setback for the party.
Maharashtra
Congress candidate Jitesh Raosaheb Antapurkar was leading over BJP's Subhash Pirajirao Sabne by 2293 votes after the first round of counting of votes in Maharashtra's Deglur (SC) assembly bypoll.
The constituency is in Nanded district, from where state public works department minister Ashok Chavan hails.
The BJP fielded Sabne, a former Shiv Sena MLA.
Mizoram
Ruling MNF candidate K Laldawngliana was leading by 976 votes in the bypoll to the Tuirial seat in Mizoram on Tuesday morning, as per the Election Commission.
The bypoll to the Tuirial Assembly constituency in Kolasib district bordering Assam was held following the death of sitting Legislator, Andrew H. Thangliana of the Zoram People's Movement.
Meghalaya
Meghalaya's ruling National People's Party (NPP) is leading in Mawryngkneng assembly seat where counting of votes got underway on Tuesday, according to the Election Commission of India website.
NPP's Pyniaid Sinh Syiem was leading his nearest Congress rival Highlander Kharmalki by 1547 votes.
The United Democratic Party (UDP) is leading in Mawphalang constituency where its candidate Eugeneson Lyndoh was ahead of Congress's Kennedy Cornelius Khyriem by 814 votes.
Dadra and Nagar Haveli
Shiv Sena candidate Kalaben Delkar, the wife of former independent MP late Mohan Delkar, took a decisive lead of over 15,000 votes as counting was underway on Tuesday for the by-election to the Dadra and Nagar Haveli Lok Sabh seat.
The by-election was necessitated due to the death of sitting MP Mohan Delkar, an independent.
Mohan Delkar, who had won the 2019 election by defeating the then sitting BJP MP Natubhai Patel by a thin margin of 9,001 votes, allegedly hanged himself at a Mumbai hotel on February 22, 2021.
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh's ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) was racing ahead to retain the Badvel Assembly seat as its candidate Dasari Sudha had taken a massive lead of over 60,000 in seven rounds of counting.
Sudha was leading by 60,765 votes over the BJP's P. Suresh in the constituency reserved for Scheduled Castes.
The YSRCP candidate took a lead from the first round and increased it as the counting progressed. At the end of the seventh round, she had secured 74,991 votes, while Suresh was a distant second with 14,226.
The Congress party's M. Kamalamma was at third place with just 4,252 votes.