West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress has won the bypoll in the Sabang Assembly constituency, with Gita Rani Bhunia winning over her nearest rival Rita Mondal of the Left Front-backed Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M).
After 16 rounds of counting, she was leading by more than 64,000 votes. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) aspirant Antara Bhattacharyya was in the third spot.
The Congress, which had won the seat in last year's assembly polls, was faring poorly, with its nominee Chiranjib Bhowmick in the fourth position.
The bypoll was necessitated due to sitting Congress legislator Manas Bhunia’s resignation, after he crossed over to the Trinamool. He is now a Rajya Sabha member of his new party.
Gita Rani is Manas Bhunia's wife.
(This is a developing story and will be updated)
BJP Emerges Victorious in Arunachal and UP Bypolls
Meanwhile, the BJP, on Sunday, 24 December wrested both the Pakke-Kessang and Likabali Assembly seats from the Congress in the by-elections to these constituencies in Arunachal Pradesh.
With this, the 60-member state Assembly now has 49 MLAs from the saffron party, nine from the Peoples' Party of Arunachal (PPA), one Congress and one Independent legislator.
The BJP also emerged victorious in the bypolls for UP’s Sikandra. Ajit Pal of the BJP secured around 51,000 votes, around 7,000 more than what the SP candidate got, reported CNN-News18.
There were 12 candidates in the fray for UP's Sikandara, which fell vacant after the death of BJP MLA Mathura Prasad Pal. Nearly 53 percent of the total 3.21 lakh electorate cast their votes in the Assembly by-election in Sikandara.
BR Waghe of the BJP won the Pakke-Kessang seat by a narrow margin of 475 votes, defeating his lone rival and former deputy Chief Minister, Kameng Dolo of the Congress.
In the Likabali seat, BJP's Kardo Nyigyor won by a slender margin of 305 votes, defeating his nearest rival, Gumke Riba of the PPA.
Over 68.5 percent electors had cast their votes in the 21 December bypolls, with Pakke-Kessang recording an 86 percent voter turnout and Likabali 51 percent.
The Likabali seat had fallen vacant after then health and family welfare minister Jomde Kena passed away on 4 September.
The Pakke-Kessang seat fell vacant after the Gauhati High Court declared the election of Dolo from the constituency in the 15 March 2014 polls null and void, following an election petition filed by BJP nominee and former minister Atum Welly.
Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju congratulated the BJP members for the victory in the bypolls
(With inputs from PTI)
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