Counting of votes for the Datia Assembly constituency bypoll in Madhya Pradesh began on Monday at 8 a.m. at the Polytechnic College under tight security. The process started with the counting of postal ballots, followed by the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). A total of 21 tables, including 20 for counting of EVMs, were set up at the facility to facilitate the counting process.
The bypoll, held on July 30, recorded a voting turnout of 71.44%, as per the Election Commission. The bypoll was necessitated due to the disqualification of former MLA Rajendra Bharti, who was convicted in a bank fraud case. Bharti was suspended from the Congress party’s primary membership a day before the result, after the party’s candidate, Ghanshyam Singh, accused him of trying to sabotage his campaign and colluding with the Bharatiya Janata Party.
The BJP fielded debutant Ashutosh Tiwari in the bypoll, after snubbing former State Home Minister Narottam Mishra, who represented the seat for three consecutive terms until his defeat to Bharti in the 2023 Assembly polls. The Datia bypoll is also 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 64, and the Bharat Adivasi Party one legislator.
