Mizoram’s main opposition party Mizo National Front (MNF) retained the Dampa assembly seat in the by-election on Friday, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won the Nagrota seat in Jammu and Kashmir and was leading in the Nuapada seat in Odisha. According to the results and trends so far of the by-elections held on eight assembly seats of different states, Congress candidates are ahead in Jubilee Hills assembly seat of Telangana and Anta assembly seat of Baran district of Rajasthan.

Who has the edge in Punjab and Jharkhand?
In Punjab’s Tarn Taran assembly seat, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Harmeet Singh Sandhu is ahead of his nearest rival and Shiromani Akali Dal candidate Sukhwinder Kaur Randhawa, while in Jharkhand’s Ghatshila assembly seat, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) candidate Somesh Chandra Soren is ahead of his nearest rival Babulal Soren of BJP.

PDP has lead in Budgam seat of Kashmir
People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is leading in the by-election on Budgam assembly seat in Kashmir and opposition candidate Agha Syed Muntajir has a lead of more than 2,000 votes over ruling National Conference candidate Agha Syed Mahmood. After winning both Budgam and Ganderbal seats in the assembly elections last year, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had resigned from Budgam seat. Due to his resignation, there was a need for by-election for this seat.

BJP’s victory on Nagrota seat
On Nagrota seat, BJP candidate Devyani Rana defeated Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP) candidate Harsh Dev Singh. On reaching the counting centre, Rana thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP President JP Nadda and other party leaders. Rana is the daughter of former MLA Devendra Singh Rana, whose death led to the by-election.

Dampa seat of Mizoram is near MNF
According to the Election Commission, the main opposition party in Mizoram, Mizo National Front (MNF), retained the Dampa assembly seat in Mamit district. Candidate R Lalthangliyana defeated Vanlalsailova of the ruling Joram People’s Movement by a margin of 562 votes. Lalthangliyana got 6,981 votes which is 40.23 percent of the total vote share. Vanlalsailova secured 6,419 votes (36.61 percent). Dampa seat had fallen vacant after the death of sitting MNF MLA Lalrintluanga Silo on July 21.

Congress ahead on Anta seat of Rajasthan
In Anta assembly seat of Baran district of Rajasthan, Congress candidate Pramod Jain Bhaya is ahead by a margin of 4,989 votes after seven rounds of counting. Independent candidate Naresh Meena Bhaya and BJP candidate Morpal Saman are lagging behind. This by-election took place due to the disqualification of BJP MLA Kanwar Lal Meena.

BJP’s lead in Nuapada seat of Odisha
BJP candidate Jai Dholakia is ahead by more than 40,000 votes in Nuapada seat of Odisha. After 12 rounds of counting, Dholakia got 59,366 votes, while Biju Janata Dal’s Snehangini Churiya got 19,053 votes. Congress candidate Ghasi Ram Majhi is in third place with 17,437 votes. Jai Dholakia is the son of late BJD MLA Rajendra Dholakia.

AAP’s lead in Tarn Taran seat of Punjab
In Punjab, Aam Aadmi Party candidate Harmeet Singh Sandhu is heading towards victory in the Tarn Taran assembly by-election. Sandhu got 32,520 votes while Randhawa got 22,284 votes. AAP workers celebrated outside the counting centre. Tarn Taran seat fell vacant after the death of AAP MLA Kashmir Singh Sohal in June.

Congress ahead in Jubilee Hills seat of Telangana
In Jubilee Hills assembly constituency in Telangana, Congress candidate V Naveen Yadav is ahead of BRS rival Maganti Sunita by 2,995 votes. Yadav got 17,874 votes, while the BRS candidate got 14,879 votes. This by-election occurred due to the death of BRS MLA Maganti Gopinath.

JMM’s lead in Ghatshila seat of Jharkhand
In Ghatshila Assembly seat in Jharkhand, JMM candidate Somesh Chandra Soren is ahead of his nearest rival Babulal Soren of BJP by 7,541 votes. After the third round of counting, Soren got 16,110 votes, while the BJP candidate got 8,569 votes. Somesh is the son of JMM MLA Ramdas Soren, whose death led to the by-election.

(with language inputs)

Along with the Bihar Assembly elections, counting of votes for the by-elections held in six states of the country and eight assembly seats of Jammu and Kashmir will be done today. These seats include Anta in Rajasthan, Ghatshila in Jharkhand, Tarn Taran in Punjab, Jubilee Hills in Telangana, Dampa in Mizoram, Nuapada in Odisha and Budgam and Nagrota seats in Jammu and Kashmir.

Contest between 17 candidates in Budgam
This time 17 candidates are in the fray for Budgam assembly seat of Jammu and Kashmir. National Conference has given ticket to Agha Syed Mahmood Al-Mosawi, while PDP has fielded Agha Syed Muntajir Mehndi and BJP has fielded Agha Syed Mohsin Mosavi. Aam Aadmi Party has fielded Diba Khan from this seat.

10 candidates contesting Nagrota seat
A total of 10 candidates are contesting from Nagrota assembly seat. National Conference has fielded Shamim Begum, Devyani Rana is contesting from BJP’s side and Aam Aadmi Party has made Joginder Singh its candidate.

Interesting contest on Tarn Taran seat of Punjab
Voting took place in the much-discussed Tarn Taran assembly seat of Punjab on Tuesday morning amid tight security. This seat became vacant after the death of Aam Aadmi Party MLA Kashmir Singh Sohal. A total of 15 candidates are trying their luck in this by-election. Aam Aadmi Party has given ticket to Harmeet Singh Sandhu, while Harjeet Singh Sandhu from BJP, Sukhwinder Kaur from Akali Dal and Karanbir Singh from Congress have contested the elections.

15 candidates for Anta seat of Rajasthan
A total of 15 candidates are contesting from Anta assembly seat of Baran district of Rajasthan. This seat had fallen vacant due to the disqualification of BJP MLA Kanwar Lal Meena after he was found guilty in a criminal case. Congress has given ticket to former minister Pramod Jain ‘Bhaya’, while BJP has made Morpal Suman its candidate.

Direct contest between JMM and BJP on Ghatshila seat of Jharkhand
Voters have decided the fate of 13 candidates in Ghatshila assembly seat of Jharkhand. The main contest here is believed to be between Somesh Chandra Soren of JMM and Babulal Soren of BJP. This by-election has been conducted due to the death of JMM MLA Ramdas Soren.

Contest between 5 candidates on Mizoram’s Dampa seat
Five candidates are in the fray for Mizoram’s Dampa assembly seat. The main opposition party MNF, along with its senior vice president R. Lalthangliyana has been given the ticket, while Congress has fielded John Rotluangliyana and BJP has fielded Lalmingthanga. This seat was vacant after the death of MNF MLA Lalrintluanga Sailo.

Contest between 14 candidates on Nuapada seat of Odisha
14 candidates are trying their luck in the by-election on Nuapada assembly seat of Odisha. BJD’s Snehangini Chhuria, BJP’s Jai Dholakia, Congress’ Ghasiram Majhi and Samajwadi Party’s Ramakant Hati are the main candidates on this seat. This by-election has been conducted due to the death of BJD MLA Rajendra Dholakia.

58 candidates for Jubilee Hills seat of Telangana
This time the most interesting contest is being seen on Jubilee Hills Assembly seat of Telangana, because a total of 58 candidates are in the fray here. BJP has given ticket to Deepak Reddy, Congress has fielded Naveen Yadav and BRS has fielded Maganti Sunita.