Datia Bypoll: BJP's Ashutosh Tiwari Leads Congress by Just 139 Votes After Third Round

Vote counting is underway for the crucial Datia Assembly by-election, a contest being closely watched for its potential political impact in Madhya Pradesh. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded Ashutosh Tiwari, while the Congress has nominated Ghanshyam Singh in a bid to retain the seat.

Datia is predominantly a rural constituency with around 2.20 lakh voters. The constituency has a significant Scheduled Caste population, while the presence of Damodar Yadav has added another dimension to the electoral contest, particularly due to the influence of the Kushwaha community.

Traditionally considered a BJP stronghold, the constituency also has the Narottam Mishra factor, making the by-election politically significant for both the BJP and Congress.

BJP Takes Lead After First Round

The BJP took an early lead as figures from the first round of counting emerged.

BJP candidate Ashutosh Tiwari secured 4,551 votes, while Congress candidate Ghanshyam Singh received 3,367 votes, placing him second.

The early numbers gave the BJP an advantage as counting progressed.

BJP Maintains Lead After Second Round

Ashutosh Tiwari continued to maintain his lead after the second round of counting.

By the end of the second round, Tiwari had secured 8,253 votes, while Congress candidate Ghanshyam Singh had received 7,288 votes. Damodar Yadav had polled 3,650 votes.

With these figures, the BJP candidate was ahead by 965 votes after the second round.

Nail-Biting Contest After Third Round

The contest became considerably tighter after the third round of counting, with the gap between the BJP and Congress narrowing sharply.

After three rounds, BJP candidate Ashutosh Tiwari had secured 12,515 votes, while Congress candidate Ghanshyam Singh was close behind with 12,376 votes.

Meanwhile, Azad Samaj Party candidate Damodar Yadav had received 4,873 votes.

Tiwari's lead over Singh had narrowed to just 139 votes, indicating an extremely close contest in Datia.

The early trends suggest that the Datia by-election is developing into a neck-and-neck battle between the BJP and Congress, with subsequent rounds of counting likely to prove decisive.