Dantewada Assembly bypoll: Congress candidate leads

The Congress candidate has gained a lead of 11,319 votes against her BJP rival in the Dantewada assembly bypoll on Friday as counting of votes is underway, officials said. The byelection was held on September 23 in the Naxal- affected constituency.

Counting started at the District Institute of Education and Training (DIET) campus at the Dantewada district headquarters at 8 am, a poll official said. Devti Karma of the Congress was leading by 11,319 votes against her nearest rival Ojaswi Mandavi of the BJP, he said.

Karma had secured 49,907 votes, while Mandavi had got 38,588 votes after the 19th round of counting, the official said, adding that one more round was left. The ruling Congress and main opposition BJP are locked in a direct fight in the seat, reserved for Scheduled Tribes, where a bypoll was necessitated after BJP MLA Bhima Mandavi was killed in a Maoist attack in April..