The counting of votes for bypolls held across eight Assembly constituencies in seven states began at 8 a.m. on Friday. Voting took place on Tuesday in Jammu & Kashmir, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Telangana, Punjab, Mizoram and Odisha. Counting for the Bihar Assembly election has also started simultaneously.
According to the Election Commission of India, counting is underway for Jammu & Kashmir’s Budgam and Nagrota seats, Rajasthan’s Anta seat, Jharkhand’s Ghatsila seat, Telangana’s Jubilee Hills seat, Punjab’s Tarn Taran seat, Mizoram’s Dampa seat and Odisha’s Nuapada seat.
Among all seats, the Budgam Assembly constituency in Jammu & Kashmir has drawn the most attention. The bypoll was necessitated after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah resigned from the seat. In the 2024 Assembly elections, Abdullah won from both Ganderbal and Budgam but retained Ganderbal, vacating Budgam and prompting the by-election.
A total of 20 candidates are in the fray from Budgam. The National Conference has fielded Agha Mahmood, the PDP has nominated Agha Syed Muntazir, while the Bharatiya Janata Party has put forward Syed Mohsin.
Counting is progressing under standard Election Commission protocols, and results for all eight seats are expected later in the day.
(Inputs: Agencies)