Punjab: AAP candidate Harmeet Sandhu takes lead in Tarn Taran bypoll, SAD nominee trailing

Tarn Taran: Aam Aadmi Party candidate Harmeet Singh Sandhu was leading with a margin of 187 votes against his nearest rival and Shiromani Akali Dal candidate Sukhwinder Kaur Randhawa from the Tarn Taran assembly segment in Punjab, as counting of votes progressed on Friday.

Sandhu was leading with 11,727 votes against Randhawa's 11,540 votes in the fifth round of counting.

The SAD nominee was leading in the first three rounds of counting, but the AAP candidate took over the lead thereafter.

Congress candidate Karanbir Singh Burj was at the third spot with 6,329 votes, and Independent candidate Mandeep Singh was at the fourth position with 4,744 votes.

BJP candidate Harjit Singh Sandhu was at the fifth spot with 1,197 votes.

The counting of votes for the Tarn Taran bypoll began at 8 am here on Friday.

The polling was held on Tuesday, which saw a voter turnout of 60.95 per cent.

The Tarn Taran assembly seat fell vacant after the death of AAP MLA Kashmir Singh Sohal in June.

Tight security arrangements have been made at the counting centre set up at the International College of Nursing, Piddi.

The counting will be completed in 16 rounds, officials said.

There were 15 candidates in the fray.