Counting Begins For Datia Assembly Bypoll In MP Amid Tight Security | VIDEO

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Counting of votes for the Datia Assembly bypoll in Madhya Pradesh began on Monday morning amid tight security, officials said.

The counting started at 8 am at the Government Polytechnic College. Officials first began counting postal ballots, followed by votes recorded in the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).

A total of 21 counting tables have been set up at the counting centre, including 20 tables for EVM counting, officials said.

The bypoll was held on July 30, recording a voter turnout of 71.44%, according to the Election Commission.

The bypoll was necessitated after former Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti was disqualified following his conviction in a bank fraud case.

A day before the counting, the Congress suspended Bharti from the party's primary membership. The move came after Congress candidate Ghanshyam Singh accused him of trying to damage his election campaign and helping the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The BJP has fielded Ashutosh Tiwari, a first-time candidate, instead of former state Home Minister Narottam Mishra, who represented the seat for three consecutive terms before losing to Bharti in the 2023 Assembly elections.

The Datia bypoll is also being seen as the first electoral test for newly appointed BJP state president Hemant Khandelwal.

In the 230-member Madhya Pradesh Assembly, the BJP has 164 MLAs, the Congress has 64, while the Bharat Adivasi Party has one legislator.

With Inputs from PTI