Counting of votes for bypolls to four assembly seats in Punjab begins

Chandigarh, Nov 23 (PTI) Counting of votes for the bypolls to Punjab's four assembly segments began at 8 am on Saturday amid tight security.

Bypolls to Gidderbaha, Dera Baba Nanak, Chabbewal (SC) and Barnala took place on November 20. The bypolls were necessitated after the incumbent legislators were elected to the Lok Sabha earlier this year.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Congress and BJP are the main contenders in this bypoll with the Shiromani Akali Dal staying away from the electoral battle.

Counting of votes will take place in 18 rounds in Dera Baba Nanak, 15 rounds in Chabbewal, 13 rounds in Gidderbaha and 16 rounds in Barnala, they said.

The bypoll had witnessed a voter turnout of 63.91 per cent. The Gidderbaha segment saw the highest voting of 81.90 per cent, followed by Dera Baba Nanak at 64.01 per cent, Barnala at 56.34 per cent and Chabbewal at 53.43 per cent.

Among the key contestants in the fray are former Punjab finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal, Kewal Singh Dhillon, Sohan Singh Thandal and Ravikaran Singh Kahlon (BJP), Amrita Warring and Jatinder Kaur (Congress), and Hardeep Singh Dimpy Dhillon, Gurdeep Singh Randhawa and Ishank Kumar Chabbewal (AAP). PTI CHS VSD NSD NSD