Vote Counting Begins for Bye-Elections in Datia, Bankipur, and Manjalpur

Counting of votes began for bye-elections for high-stakes Assembly constituencies of Datia in Madhya Pradesh, Bankipur in Bihar and Manjalpur in Gujarat.

Datia recorded a significant voter turnout on July 30 with 71.42 per cent of electors casting their votes, while Bankipur and Manjalpur witnessed low turnouts with 34.31 per cent and 37.50 per cent of voters casting their votes.

Datia Collector Swapnil Wankhede said that the district administration has made three-tier security layers and added that their primary responsibility is to ensure transparency in the counting of votes.

Collector Wankhede said, "Arrangements are in place. Counting will take place across 20 tables--organised into two rounds of 10 tables each--and separate tables have been set up for postal ballots. Postal ballot counting will proceed alongside the main count, though the process will begin with the postal ballots; comprehensive security arrangements have been finalised, with three-tier security established both inside and outside the venue."

"Our primary responsibility is to ensure the agents present are satisfied and that the entire process is transparent, preventing any issues or grievances. We might conduct the initial rounds slowly until everyone is satisfied; once everyone is comfortable, we will accelerate the pace of the rounds," he added.

He said that the candidates have inspected the EVM strong room and expressed satisfaction.

"However, should any potential error arise, it will be clearly demonstrated to avoid any commotion or concerns regarding a lack of transparency. Candidates who have already arrived have inspected the arrangements and expressed satisfaction; they also inspected the EVM strong room and were satisfied with what they saw," he said.

The Datia Assembly seat fell vacant following the disqualification of Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti on April 2. The BJP has fielded Ashutosh Tiwari, while the Congress has nominated Ghanshyam Singh.

In the high-voltage clash in Bankipur, Jan Suraaj Party chief Prashant Kishor threw his hat in the ring against BJP's Neeraj Kumar Sinha and RJD's Rekha Kumari. The seat fell vacant after the resignation of BJP national president Nitin Nabin, who was elected as a Rajya Sabha MP.

Prashant Kishor has meanwhile accused Bihar Police of heavy-handed tactics, intimidating voters, and partisan manoeuvring during the election cycle.

Meanwhile, the Manjalpur seat fell vacant following the demise of sitting BJP MLA Yogeshbhai Narandas Patel, who had won the seat in the past three elections. The contest is between the only two candidates, Satendrabhai Patel alias Satish Patel of the BJP and Bhikhabhai Rabari of the Congress.