In a major boost to the Ashok Gehlot government, the Congress has won the Ramgarh assembly seat in Rajasthan in the bypoll held on Monday. The Congress won the Ramgarh assembly constituency with a margin of 12,228 votes over the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Polling at 278 booths of Ramgarh assembly constituency passed peacefully on Monday, recording 79.14% turnout, according to information from Rajasthan election department.

In the Jind assembly by-election, the turnout was recorded at over 70% at 5 pm. In Jind, the election is considered as a referendum on the Manohar Lal Khattar government and also a semi-final ahead of the general election.

Watch: Congress wins Ramgarh by-poll, BJP leads Jind by-poll trends in Rajasthan

Highlights:

3:30 pm IST We will follow the schemes launched by the PM and take them forward: KL Middha BJP’s KL Middha after winning Jind bypolls, “ I would like to thank everyone who supported the party and me. It’s their victory. There were big leaders in the contest as well, but we have defeated them too. We will follow the schemes launched by the Prime Minister and take them forward.”





3:23 pm IST Jind bypolls: INLD that won Jind in 2009 and 2014 loses deposit BJP: 50566 JJP: 37631 Congress: 22740 LSP: 13582 INLD: 3454 INLD that won Jind in 2009 and 2014 loses deposit.





3:18 pm IST BJP’s Krishan Lal Middha wins Jind bypolls with a margin of 12935 votes BJP’s Krishan Lal Middha wins Jind bypolls with a margin of 12935 votes, garnering a total of 50566 votes. JJP’s Digvijay Singh Chautala garners 37631 votes and Congress’ RS Surjwala gets 22740 votes, reports news agency ANI.





3:11 pm IST I congratulate Krishna Middha: Randeep Surjewala Randeep Surjewala on Jind bypoll result, “I hope Manohar Lal Khattar and Krishna Middha ji will fulfil the dreams of the people of Jind. I was given a responsibility by the party which I fulfilled to the best of my abilities, I congratulate Krishna Middha ji.” Randeep Surjewala on Jind bypoll result: I hope Manohar Lal Khattar and Krishna Middha ji will fulfil the dreams of the people of Jind. I was given a responsibility by the party which I fulfilled to the best of my abilities, I congratulate Krishna Middha ji. pic.twitter.com/O97opemVsY — ANI (@ANI) January 31, 2019





3:00 pm IST Final results of Jind bypolls BJP- 49229 JJP- 37681 BJP secures win by 12248 margin





2:57 pm IST Final round of counting of votes in Jind bypolls JJP: 2388 BJP:1057 Congress: 855 Total-- JJP: 37681 BJP: 49229





2:55 pm IST I accept defeat, but don’t consider it as our defeat: JJP’s Digvijay Chautala I accept defeat, but don’t consider it as our defeat, says JJP’s Digvijay Chautala.





2:52 pm IST Jind bypolls: BJP wins by 8222 votes Jind bypolls: BJP wins by 8222 votes.





2:48 pm IST There were many discrepancies with EVMs: Randeep Surjewala Congress leader Randeep Surjewala says, “Party gave me responsibility, I tried my best. Voters chose BJP’s Middha, I congratulate him. There were many discrepancies with EVMs.”





2:30 pm IST Round 12 of counting of votes in Jind bypolls JJP: 4337 BJP: 1950 Congress: 2081 Margin reduces to 13,579.





2:28 pm IST Jind by-poll trends: BJP leading with 46,916 votes Jind by-poll trends: BJP leading with 46916 votes, Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) 30956 votes, Congress 19611 votes at the end of 11th round of counting, reports news agency ANI.





2:25 pm IST Round 11 of counting of votes in Jind bypolls BJP: 4192 Congress: 2020 JJP: 4110 INLD: 284 LSP: 494 BJP total lead: 15,960





2:13 pm IST Round 10 of counting in Jind bypolls JJP: 1521 BJP: 5163 Congress: 1815 LSP: 699 INLD: 59 BJP leads with 15878 votes.





2:05 pm IST Police lathi charge outside counting venue of Jind bypolls Haryana: Police lathi charge outside the counting venue of Jind by-polls following a ruckus. SP Jind Ashwin Shenvi says,“There was unlawful assembly which didn’t disperse when we asked them to leave.We had to use slight force to disperse them.Situation normal now.Counting underway. Haryana:Police lathi charge outside the counting venue of Jind by-polls following a ruckus. SP Jind Ashwin Shenvi says,"There was unlawful assembly which didn’t disperse when we asked them to leave.We had to use slight force to disperse them.Situation normal now.Counting underway pic.twitter.com/lpkTnrFYo5 — ANI (@ANI) January 31, 2019





1:59 pm IST Round 9 of counting in Jind bypolls BJP: 5381 INLD: 192 Congress: 2043 LSP; 2105 JJP: 2455 BJP leading by 12,236 votes.





1:46 pm IST Round 8 of counting in Jind bypolls BJP: 32180 INC: 13733 INLD: 2485





1:43 pm IST BJP maintains win with a margin of 9310 votes JJP takes round 8, BJP maintains win with a margin of 9310 votes.





1:23 pm IST Jind bypolls: Party agents create ruckus outside counting centre Jind bypolls: Party agents create ruckus outside counting centre alleging EVM machines have been changed. Security forces resort to mild lathicharge to disperse JJP supporters.





1:14 pm IST Jind by-poll trends: BJP leading with a margin of 9408 votes at the end of 7th round of counting Jind by-poll trends: BJP leading with a margin of 9408 votes at the end of 7th round of counting. Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) 19403 votes, Congress 11647 votes, reports news agency ANI.





1:09 pm IST People know that we believe in working: Congress’ Shafia Zubair Congress party’s Shafia Zubair after winning Ramgarh bypolls: “People know that we believe in working.” Rajasthan: Congress party's Shafia Zubair after winning #RamgarhByPoll. She says "People know that we believe in working". She won with a margin of 12228 votes, garnering a total of 83311 votes. pic.twitter.com/lOf6XOVRZ5 — ANI (@ANI) January 31, 2019





12:56 am IST Counting temporarily stopped in Jind Counting temporarily stopped in Jind as party agents create ruckus alleging EVM machines have been changed. More paramilitary forces called.





12:51 pm IST People took a well meditated step: Ashok Gehlot on Ramgarh bypoll result Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Ramgarh bypoll result: “I’m happy that people took a well meditated step. They’ve taken right decision. I thank them and express my gratitude. They’ve given a message at a time when it was much needed. It’ll encourage the party ahead of Lok Sabha election.” Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot on #RamgarhByPoll result: I'm happy that people took a well meditated step. They've taken right decision. I thank them&express my gratitude. They've given a message at a time when it was much needed. It'll encourage the party ahead of Lok Sabha election. pic.twitter.com/TrZyJOOFvQ — ANI (@ANI) January 31, 2019





12:34 pm IST BJP maintains overall lead with over 9000 votes in Jind bypolls JJP takes lead in seventh round of counting in Jind bypolls. BJP maintains overall lead with over 9000 votes.





12:03 pm IST BJP leading in Jind bypolls after round 6 of counting BJP: 26,412 JJP: 16,306 Congress: 10,037





11:57 am IST Ramgarh by-poll result: Congress wins Ramgarh seat with a margin of 12228 votes Ramgarh by-poll result: Congress wins Ramgarh seat with a margin of 12228 votes. Congress candidate Shafia Zubair garnered a total of 83311 votes. BJP’s Suwant Singh garnered 71083 votes, reports news agency ANI.





11:52 am IST Jind by-poll trends: BJP leading with 21, 052 votes Jind by-poll trends: BJP leading with 21, 052 votes at the end of fifth round of counting. Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) 15315 votes, Congress 8813 votes, reports news agency ANI.





11:48 am IST Congress gets 100 seats in assembly With the victory in Ramgarh bypolls, the Congress has got 100 seats in assembly.





11:46 am IST Final round of counting in Ramgarh bypolls INC: 83304 BJP: 71053 BSP: 24847





11:37 am IST Round 19 of counting in Ramgarh bypolls INC: 78406 BJP: 68659 BSP: 24436





11:25 am IST Ramgarh by-election trends: Congress leading with a margin of 9724 votes Ramgarh by-election trends: Congress leading with a margin of 9724 votes at the end of the 19th round of counting; Congress 78413 votes, BJP 68689 votes & BSP 23745 votes, reports news agency ANI.





11:24 am IST Jind bypolls: BJP is leading by 5,737 votes After completion of five rounds of counting, the BJP is leading by 5,737 votes.





11:21 am IST Round 5 of counting in Jind: BJP: 21052 Congress: 8813 LSP: 5213 INLD: 2095





11:15 am IST Congress leading in Ramgarh after round 18 of counting Congress: 74392 BJP: 64996 BSP: 24122





10:58 am IST BJP leading in Jind after round 4 of counting BJP - 15481 JJP - 13443 Congress - 7614 INLD- 254 LSP- 511





10:50 am IST Jind bypoll: JJP leading with 11226 votes Jind bypoll: Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) leading with 11226 votes at the end of third round of counting. BJP 9350 votes, Congress 5813 votes, Loktantra Suraksha Party (LSP) 2649 votes and Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) 1760 votes, reports news agency ANI.





10:46 am IST Ramgarh by-election trends: Congress leading with a margin of 16221 votes Ramgarh by-election trends: At the end of the 13th round of counting, Congress leading with a margin of 16221 votes, reports news agency ANI.





10:43 am IST A healthy voter turnout of 75.77 % was reported in the by-election to the Jind assembly constituency A healthy voter turnout of 75.77 % was reported in the by-election to the Jind assembly constituency, dubbed as a prestige battle for the ruling BJP, the Congress and the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) ahead of the parliamentary and assembly polls.





10:38 am IST In December 7 polls, the Congress won 99 seats In the December 7 polls, the Congress won 99 seats, RLD one, BJP 73, BSP six, RLTP three, and CPI (M) and BTP two each, and 13 independents emerged victorious in the state election.





10:29 am IST Ramgarh by elections: BJP hopeful of retaining the seat Ramgarh: BJP state president Madan Lal Saini said the party was hopeful of retaining the seat.”People have seen that the Congress government has failed to deliver on its promises. It had promised to waive farmers loan in 10 days, but more than 40 days have passed and nothing such has happened.





10:26 am IST Round 3 of counting in Jind: JJP: 3334 BJP: 2796 Congress: 1890 INLD: 395





10:24 am IST Congress is going to win the seat: Sachin Pilot “The Congress is going to win the seat. People gave mandate to the party in the December 7 elections and the Ramgarh seat too will be won by us,” Rajasthan Congress president Sachin Pilot said.





10:18 am IST Ramgarh by-election trends: Congress leading with a margin of 9320 votes Ramgarh by-election trends: At the end of the 10th round of counting, Congress leading with a margin of 9320 votes, reports news agency ANI.





10:13 am IST Ramgarh: The seat, which was won by the BJP in the 2013 state elections, witnessed a triangular contest this time Ramgarh: The seat, which was won by the BJP in the 2013 state elections, witnessed a triangular contest this time and ruling Congress, opposition BJP and BSP have exuded confidence of winning the seat.





10:09 am IST Ramgarh by election: Congress candidate in lead The Congress candidate for the Ramgarh assembly election in Rajasthan is leading with a margin of over 5,000 votes, officials said Thursday, reports PTI. In five out of the total 20 rounds of counting for the polls, Congress’s Zubair secured 24,107 votes while BJP’s Sukhwant Singh has got 18,616 votes, they said.





10:04 am IST JJP leading after round 2 of counting in Jind After Round 2 of counting in Jind: JJP - 7892 BJP - 6554 Cong -3923 LSP -1756 INLD -1365





9:56 am IST Second round of counting in Jind Second round of counting in Jind JJP 4253 BJP 3719 Congress 1754 INLD 373





9:43 am IST There will be a total of 20 rounds of counting for Ramgarh bypolls There will be a total of 20 rounds of counting for Ramgarh bypolls. Ballot papers will be counted first followed by counting of votes polled on electronic voting machines, officials said.





9:27 am IST Round 1 of counting in Jind Round 1 of counting: JJP - 3639 BJP -2835 Congress -2169 LSP -705 INLD -992





9:23 am IST 21 candidates, including 2 women, had contested Jind bypoll Jind: 21 candidates, including two women, had contested the bypoll, which were held on January 28.





9:14 am IST INLD legislator Hari Chand Middha’s son is in fray on a BJP ticket The bye-election in Jind was necessitated after the death of two-time INLD legislator Hari Chand Middha, whose son is in the fray on a BJP ticket.





9:09 am IST Fate of four main candidates will be decided today The fate of the four main candidates, Randeep Singh Surjewala (Congress), Krishan Lal Middha (BJP), Umed Singh (INLD) and Digvijay Singh Chautala (JJP), will be decided.





9:04 am IST Ramgarh by-election early trends Ramgarh by-election trends: Congress leading with 9773 votes, BJP and BSP trail with 7094 and 1005 votes respectively, reports news agency ANI. #Ramgarh by-election trends: Congress leading with 9773 votes, BJP & BSP trail with 7094 & 1005 votes respectively. #Rajasthan pic.twitter.com/fA6t9TD2cf — ANI (@ANI) January 31, 2019





8:56 am IST The test in Jind is for all four major parties in the fray The test in Jind was for all four major parties in the fray -- the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress, Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and the newly launched Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) as both Lok Sabha and Assembly elections were to be held later this year.





8:42 am IST Randeep Surjewala and Jannayak Janata Party’s Digvijay Chautala present at counting centre Haryana: Congress’s Randeep Surjewala and Jannayak Janata Party’s Digvijay Chautala present at the counting centre in Jind as counting of votes has begun. #Haryana: Congress's Randeep Surjewala and Jannayak Janata Party's Digvijay Chautala present at the counting centre in #Jind as counting of votes has begun. pic.twitter.com/mt9pPyjZAp — ANI (@ANI) January 31, 2019





8:34 am IST The election for Ramgarh seat, scheduled on December 7, 2018, was postponed Earlier, the election for the Ramgarh seat, scheduled on December 7, 2018, was postponed due to the death of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate.





8:25 am IST Counting of votes for Jind assembly seat by-election begins. Counting of votes for Jind assembly seat by-election begins.





8:24 am IST Counting of votes for Ramgarh assembly seat begins Counting of votes for Ramgarh assembly seat begins.



