Telangana bypoll result: BJP takes lead by 620 votes, ahead of TRS after 21 rounds of counting

While the ruling TRS is hoping to retain the seat which fell vacant following the death of its sitting legislator Solipeta Ramalinga Reddy, Congress and BJP are also optimistic about the outcome

The BJP is currently leading in 19 out of 31 assembly seats spread across 10 states. The result of three of five Assembly seats in Manipur has been declared.

The bypolls in Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Telangana were held to fill one vacant Assembly seat each. The number of seats that were vacant in Gujarat are 8, Karnataka and Jharkhand, Odisha and Nagaland 2, Manipur 5 and Uttar Pradesh 7.

Massive security is in place in Dubbak as the bypoll outcome will be announced on Tuesday.

·  BJP leads by 620 votes after 21 rounds of counting

·  TRS candidate Solipeta Sujatha takes lead after 19 rounds of counting

·  1,504 postal ballots were counted first. Voters above 80 years were given option to use postal ballot option.

·  While the ruling TRS is hoping to retain the seat which fell vacant following the death of its sitting legislator Solipeta Ramalinga Reddy, Congress and BJP are also optimistic about the outcome. Solipeta Sujatha, wife of Ramalinga Reddy, was fielded by the TRS while the BJP fielded M Raghunandan Rao and Congress nominated Cheruku Srinivas Reddy. While it was the third time that Raghunandan Rao has been in a poll fray, it was the first electoral battle for both Sujatha and Srinivas Reddy.

·  The poll outcome will, however, not have any bearing on the government as the TRS has 100 seats out of 119 in the assembly.

·  However, if BJP gets the seat from the area that is KCR’s pocket borough, it is a big development.