Jind, January 31: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Krishan Middha is leading over other candidates after the first five rounds of counting, which began amid tight security arrangements on Thursday.
Middha got 21,052 votes and JJP’s Digvijay Singh Chautala got 15,315 votes.
Congress national spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewala was trailing at the third position with 8,805 votes.With this, the BJP is leading by 2,038 votes.
The counting started at 8 am and the result is expected by afternoon.
Candidates, including Congress leader Randeep Surjewala, JJP leader Digvijay Chautala reached the counting centre as soon as the counting of votes begin in Arjuna stadium.
The INLD candidate has accused the police of misbehaving with him. He alleged that his agent was not allowed inside the counting centre.
Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said that he was confident that the BJP would register a comfortable victory.
“We expect a big lead in urban areas though we trailed in rural segments,” he said.
Voting for the byelection took place on January 28 with nearly 76 per cent of the 1.72 lakh voters exercising their franchise in the multi-cornered contest.
The test was for all four major parties in the fray — the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress, Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and the newly launched Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) as both Lok Sabha and Assembly elections were to be held later this year.
The fate of the four main candidates, Randeep Singh Surjewala (Congress), Krishan Lal Middha (BJP), Umed Singh (INLD) and Digvijay Singh Chautala (JJP), will be decided.
The bypoll was necessitated after the death of two-time INLD legislator Hari Chand Middha, whose son is in the fray on a BJP ticket.
