Counting of votes polled in the keenly-watched by-election to the Huzurabad Assembly constituency in Telangana commenced on Tuesday, November 2, 2021.
The exercise to count 2,05,236 votes began at 8 am at the SRR Government Degree College in Karimnagar town amid elaborate arrangements.
BJP candidate Eatala Rajender was leading over his nearest TRS rival Gellu Srinivas Yadav after three rounds of counting of votes in the Huzurabad assembly constituency bypoll in Telangana on Tuesday.
After completion of three rounds, Mr. Rajender was leading by 1,263 votes.
While Rajender garnered 13,525 votes, Srinivas Yadav (TRS) secured 12,262 votes.
The counting would be conducted in 22 rounds, officials said.
The exercise began Tuesday morning at the SRR Government Degree College in Karimnagar.
Though as many as 30 candidates are in the fray, the main contest is among Gellu Srinivas Yadav of TRS, BJP's Eatala Rajender and Venkat Balmoori (Congress).
Polling for the by-election was held on October 30.
The by-election has been necessitated in Huzurabad in view of the resignation of Eatala Rajender in June.
Mr. Rajender, who dismissed the allegations, had quit TRS and joined BJP. He is seeking re-election on a BJP ticket.
Though as many as 30 candidates are in the fray, the main contest is among Gellu Srinivas Yadav of TRS, BJP's Eatala Rajender and Venkat Balmoori (Congress).
The bypoll is a do-or-die battle for Mr. Rajender, while it is significant for the BJP as it aims at emerging as the alternative to ruling TRS in the 2023 Legislative Assembly elections.
It is crucial for the TRS as well as it would like to demonstrate that its dominance in state politics continues unchallenged.