Vote Counting Begins for Datiya Assembly By-Election Amid Tight Security

Vote Counting Commences in Datiya

In Datiya, Madhya Pradesh, the counting of votes for the recently held by-election began at 8 AM on Monday at the Polytechnic College, located in the district headquarters, under strict security measures, as confirmed by an official.

The counting process commenced with the tallying of postal ballots. Following this, the votes from the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) will be counted. A total of 21 tables have been set up for the counting process, with 20 designated specifically for the EVM votes.

The necessity for this by-election arose after the disqualification of Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti. In April, a Delhi court sentenced him to three years in prison for a fraud case, leading to the termination of his assembly membership.

For this by-election, Congress has fielded Ghanshyam Singh as their candidate. A total of 20 candidates, including Ashutosh Tiwari from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), are contesting.

The voting for the Datiya assembly by-election took place on July 30, with a voter turnout of 71.44%. In the 2023 assembly elections, Rajendra Bharti had defeated BJP candidate Narottam Mishra by a margin of over 7,700 votes.