Bypoll counting: BJD ahead in Odisha; one each for Cong and BJP in MP

Bhubaneswar/Bhopal: The counting of votes for the bypolls to two Assembly seats in Madhya Pradesh and one in Odisha is underway today, with the BJP leading in Mungaoli and the Congress in Kolaras and the ruling BJD leading in Bijepur Assembly seat in Odisha as per initial trends.

BJP’s Baisahab Yadav was leading by 265 votes in Mungaoli while in Kolaras, the Congress candidate, Mahendra Singh Yadav, was ahead of his rivals by a margin of 514 ballots, the official said. The postal ballots were counted first, he said.

BJD nominee Rita Sahu is leading by a margin of 2906 votes over her nearest BJP candidate Ashok Panigrahi after first round of counting of votes, they said. Congress nominee Pranay Sahu has so far got 315 votes.The outcome of the two bypolls in MP would be watched keenly as a possible pointer to people’s mood ahead of the Assembly elections in the BJP-ruled state, due later this year.

The bypolls, held on February 24, were necessitated due to the death of Congress’s MLAs Mahendra Singh Kalukheda (Mungaoli) and Ram Singh Yadav (Kolaras). The by-poll was necessitated due to the death of Congress MLA Subal Sahu in August, 2017. A total of 13 candidates are in fray in Mungaoli while 22 candidates are contesting in Kolaras.