Bypoll results: Cong ahead in Rajasthan, Haryana's Jind yet to show trends

After a drubbing in three Hindi heartland states recently, the BJP faces a key challenge in Rajasthan’s Ramgarh Assembly seat and Haryana’s Jind, also a legislative constituency.

It appears the Congress has an upper hand in Ramgarh, with the party’s Zub air leading over BJP’s Sukhwant Singh by a slim margin. BSP's Jagat singh is trailing at third position.

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

The seat, which was won by the BJP in the 2013 state elections, witnessed a triangular contest this time – between the ruling Congress, Opposition BJP and BSP.

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.

Counting of votes for the high-stake Jind bypoll in Haryana also began in the morning amid tight security arrangements.

Twenty-one candidates, including two women, contested the bypoll, which were held on January 28. A healthy voter turnout of 75.77 per cent was reported in the by-election to the Jind assembly constituency, dubbed as a prestige battle for the ruling BJP, the Congress and the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) ahead of the Parliamentary and Assembly polls. The bypoll is also important for the newly-floated Jannayak Janata Party (JJP), which was formed after a split in the main opposition INLD. The by-election was necessitated following the death of INLD MLA Hari Chan Middha, whose son Krishan Middha recently joined the BJP and contested as the saffron party's candidate for the bypoll. Hari Chand Middha had represented Jind twice. The Congress fielded its senior leader and sitting MLA from Kaithal constituency Randeep Singh Surjewala. The INLD banks on Umed Singh Redhu to retain the seat. The JJP put its weight behind Digvijay Singh Chautala, the younger son of jailed leader Ajay Singh Chautala, who broke away from the INLD and floated the party last month. Loktantra Suraksha Party (LSP), which is led by BJP's rebel MP Raj Kumar Saini, also entered the fray. The bypoll was held just months ahead of the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Haryana. Arch rivals BJP, Congress, INLD and JJP are eyeing the results as a self-assessment exercise ahead of the Lok Sabha polls this year. The high-stake election is considered a referendum on the Manohar Lal Khattar government and also a semi-final ahead of the general elections.