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Datia Bypoll Counting Set for Monday After Polling Officials Report Smooth Voting

The result will test the BJP’s effort to reclaim a seat vacated after an MLA’s conviction.

Overview

  • Counting will begin at 8:00 AM on Monday, August 3, 2026, with postal ballots tallied first and electronic voting machines counted afterward.
  • District Collector Swapnil Wankhede inspected the Government Polytechnic College counting centre on Sunday and said polling on July 30 concluded peacefully with no reported EVM malfunctions.
  • Official turnout was 71.44 percent, a drop of about 8.8 percentage points from the more than 80 percent recorded in the 2023 assembly election.
  • The main contest is between BJP candidate Ashutosh Tiwari and Congress candidate Ghanshyam Singh in a field of 21 nominees after the seat was vacated when Rajendra Bharti was convicted in April.
  • Parties mounted intensive campaigns with senior leaders visiting the constituency and the outcome could influence political momentum in Madhya Pradesh ahead of the next state polls.