Counting of votes for 4 seats in Bengal, J’khand, Tripura today

KOLKATA/RANCHI/AGARTALA: Counting of votes for the bypolls to four assembly seats in West Bengal, Jharkhand and Tripura will begin at 8am on Friday in the first electoral test for the INDIA bloc against the BJP.

Bypolls to two seats in Tripura (Boxanagar and Dhanpur), and one seat each in West Bengal (Dhupguri) and Jharkhand (Dumri) were held by and large peacefully on September 5.

In Jharkhand, INDIA bloc and NDA candidates are keeping their fingers crossed ahead of the counting to Dumri assembly bypolls.

The counting centre has been set up at Krishi Bazar Samiti, Pachambha, in Giridih district, an election official said.

“In all, 24 rounds of counting will be held and over 70 officials have been deployed for the exercise,” Giridih deputy commissioner-cum-election officer Naman Priesh Lakra said.

Around 65 per cent of 2.98 lakh voters had exercised their franchise to seal the fate of six candidates in the bypoll.

“Central Armed Police Force and various wings of Jharkhand police have been deployed to ensure free and fair counting,” he said.

INDIA bloc candidate Bebi Devi is locked in a direct contest with NDA nominee Yashoda Devi.

JMM’s Bebi Devi said, “I believe Dumri people have given their blessings to the party.”

AJSU Party’s Yashoda Devi said, “People participated in the bypoll in large numbers. I think they have voted for the AJSU Party for development of the constituency.”

In Tripura, the ECI has taken necessary steps to conduct the counting in a transparent way, a senior poll official said on Thursday.

Counting of votes to both the seats - Boxanagar and Dhanpur will take place at Sonamura Girls’ HS School.

“There is tight security at the counting centre,” Sepahijala district magistrate Vishal Kumar said.

BJP’s Tafajjal Hussain, who unsuccessfully contested the last assembly election from Boxanagar, is contesting against CPI(M) nominee Mizan Hussain from there.