Chhindwara (MP), Jul 13 (PTI) Counting of votes for the Amarwara bypoll in Chhindwara district of Madhya Pradesh began on Saturday amid tight security arrangements, a poll official said.
The counting of votes commenced at 8 am at the Government PG College Bhawan and is going on peacefully, the official said.
After the third round, Kamlesh Pratap Shah of the BJP was leading by 4,160 votes over Congress’ Dheeran Shah Invati, he said.
A turnout of 78.71 per cent was recorded in the bye election for the Scheduled Tribe-reserved constituency on Wednesday.
The fate of the nine candidates, including those from the BJP, Congress and Gondwana Gantantra Party (GGP), will be decided in the 20 rounds of counting.
According to officials, a three-tier security system is in place at the counting venue.
The turnout in the constituency dropped by 10 per cent compared to the 2023 assembly election, when it recorded 88.63 per cent polling.
The bypoll to this ST-reserved seat in Chhindwara district is prestigious for both the ruling BJP and opposition Congress, as Chhindwara was considered a stronghold of senior Congress leader Kamal Nath until recently.
Congress won the Amarwara seat in the 2023 assembly elections, but the BJP’s Vivek Bunty Sahu won the Chhindwara Lok Sabha seat this time by defeating Nath’s son Nakul Nath.
The assembly by-election became necessary after three-time Congress MLA Kamlesh Shah crossed over to the BJP in March this year. He then contested in the bypoll as a BJP candidate.
Nine candidates are in the fray, but the main contest is between Kamlesh Shah and Dheeran Shah Invati and GGP nominee Devraman Bhalavi.
