BJP's Ashutosh Tiwari Leads in Datiya By-Election Vote Counting

In the ongoing vote counting for the Datiya by-election in Madhya Pradesh, BJP's Ashutosh Tiwari is leading against Congress's Ghanshyam Singh by 875 votes. The counting began under tight security following the disqualification of a previous MLA. With a voter turnout of 71.44%, the election features multiple candidates vying for the seat. Stay tuned for more updates on this closely watched political contest.

By Narendra Chaudhary Aug 3, 2026, 12:17 IST

Datiya By-Election Update

In Datiya, Madhya Pradesh, the counting of votes for the by-election has revealed that Ashutosh Tiwari, the candidate from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is currently ahead of his closest rival, Ghanshyam Singh from the Congress party, by a margin of 875 votes. This information was confirmed by an official on Monday.

The counting process commenced at 8 AM under strict security measures. This by-election was necessitated following the conviction of Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti in a fraud case, which resulted in a three-year prison sentence and the subsequent termination of his assembly membership earlier this year in April.

The counting began at the Polytechnic College located at the district headquarters, starting with postal ballots, followed by the tallying of votes from electronic voting machines (EVMs).

According to the official, the counting will take place in 15 rounds, with a total of 21 tables set up at the counting center—20 of which are designated for EVM vote counting. The Congress party has fielded Ghanshyam Singh, while the BJP has nominated Ashutosh Tiwari as their candidate.

In addition to these two, there are 19 other candidates contesting in this election. The voter turnout for the by-election held on July 30 was recorded at 71.44%.