Jind, January 31: The counting of votes was on Thursday stopped for a while after a ruckus over missing EVMs at the counting centre in Jind’s Arjuna stadium.
The counting was, however, resumed after additional CRPF force was deployed at the centre.
The counting agents of different candidates inside have alleged that EVMs were missing from table number 4 and 5 and they came out in protest.
Earlier, INLD candidate had accused the police of misbehaving with him. He alleged that his agent was not allowed inside the counting centre.
Candidates, including Congress leader Randeep Surjewala, JJP leader Digvijay Chautala reached the counting centre as soon as the counting of votes began in Arjuna stadium.
Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Krishan Middha was leading by 9,330 votes over his nearest rival Digvijay Chautala of the Jannayak Janata Party after seven rounds of counting.
Middha got 28,811 votes and Chautala got 19,481 votes.
Congress national spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewala was trailing at the third position with 11,547 votes.
The counting started at 8 am and the result is expected by afternoon.
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.
