Counting of votes for the Dhupguri Assembly (SC) by-poll in north Bengal’s Jalpaiguri district, which was held on September 5, began at 8 am on Friday amid tight security by the central paramilitary forces, official sources said.
Initial reports said that ruling TMC candidate Nirmal Chandra Roy was leading while postal ballot counting was in progress.
The counting is being held at the Jalpaiguri II campus of the North Bengal University, with 25 tables set up there.
The focus was on the three candidates, besides the TMC nominee and the BJP candidate Tapshi Roy, and Congress backed CPI (M)’s Iswar Chandra Roy, a Left Front aspirant, who is seeking his electoral fate.
The voter turnout was 78 percent.
There is three-tier security around the counting venue, official sources added.
The bypoll was necessitated by the death of BJP legislator Bishnu Pada Ray at the SSKM hospital on July 25.
