Newsinc24 Team 
Counting of votes for the Assembly by-elections in Datia (Madhya Pradesh), Bankipur (Bihar) and Manjalpur (Gujarat) began on Monday morning under tight security, with results expected later in the day.The bypolls, held on July 30, are being closely watched as an important political test for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress and other regional players ahead of upcoming electoral battles.
According to agency reports, In Madhya Pradesh's Datia Assembly constituency, BJP candidate Ashutosh Tiwari took an early lead over Congress nominee Ghanshyam Singh. According to Election Commission trends after the first round of counting, Tiwari secured 4,651 votes against Singh's 3,367, opening a lead of 1,184 votes. Counting is taking place at the Government Polytechnic College under elaborate security arrangements.The by-election assumes added significance as it is the first electoral test for newly appointed BJP state president Hemant Khandelwal. The seat recorded the highest voter turnout among the three constituencies at over 71 per cent.The Datia Assembly seat fell vacant following the disqualification of Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti on April 2. The BJP has fielded Ashutosh Tiwari, while the Congress has nominated Ghanshyam Singh,according to media rpeorts.
In Bihar's Bankipur constituency, Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor was leading in the initial round of counting. Early Election Commission trends showed Kishor polling 2,225 votes, ahead of BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar Sinha, who secured 1,363 votes. RJD nominee Rekha Kumari was in third place with 505 votes.Counting is being conducted at Kala Bhawan in Patna under a three-layer security cover, with Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) kept under tight surveillance. A total of 25 candidates are in the fray for the seat, which fell vacant after former MLA Nitin Nabin was elected to the Rajya Sabha.
Meanwhile, in Gujarat's Manjalpur Assembly constituency, BJP candidate Satish Patel established an early lead over Congress candidate Bhikhabhai Rabari. As per Election Commission trends available around 9 a.m., Patel had secured 6,287 votes, while Rabari polled 2,768 votes, giving the BJP candidate a lead of 3,519 votes.The counting is underway at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in Vadodara's Makarpura area. The bypoll was necessitated following the death of veteran BJP MLA and former minister Yogesh Patel, who had represented the constituency for multiple terms.Election authorities have deployed elaborate security arrangements at all counting centres to ensure a smooth process. Political parties are closely monitoring the trends, with final results from all three Assembly bypolls expected later on Monday.
