LIVE UPDATES: Counting of votes for Jind, Ramgarh bypolls begins

बैकग्राउंड

New Delhi: Counting of votes in Ramgarh assembly constituency of Rajasthan's Alwar district, which went to poll on January 28, will take place on Thursday. The result for Jind, Haryana bypolls will also be out on the same day. As many as 20 candidates contested the Ramgarh election, which could not be held along with other constituencies due to the death of the BSP candidate ahead of the December 7 assembly polls.

"Counting will be held at Arts College in Ramgarh tomorrow. There will be a total of 20 rounds starting 8 am amid tight security arrangements," Pankaj Sharma, Returning Officer of Ramgarh, said Wednesday.

Ramgarh has 2.35 lakh voters that include 1.10 lakh female voters.

A victory on the seat will help the Congress touch 100 in the 200-member House, reducing its dependence on support from other non-BJP parties.

Haryana Congress president Ashok Tanwar on Tuesday claimed that his party's candidate will be elected as the next MLA from Jind and defeat will trigger exodus of BJP legislators following which the Manohar Lal Khattar government in the state will fall.

"Randeep Singh Surjewala will win the Jind bypoll with a handsome margin. Once the results are out on Thursday, a loss will trigger exodus of the ruling BJP MLAs because already resentment is brewing among several legislators and they themselves will bring down this anti-people regime," he claimed.

The BJP government in Haryana has 47 MLAs in the 90-member House.