MP bypoll vote counting

Bhopal, Mar 10 (UNI) Votes polled on Thursday's byelection in Gwalior and Sidhi Lok Sabha and Udaypura Assembly constituencies in Madhya Pradesh will be counted tomorrow at the respective district headquarters.

The results were expected by noon, official sources said.

In a low voters' turn-out in the byelections, only 42 percent polling was recorded in Gwalior, 48.87 percent in Sidhi(ST) and 52 percent in Udaypura constituencies, having a total 45 candidates and over 26 lakh electorate.

State Tourism Minister Yashodhara Raje Scindia (BJP) and Ashok Singh of Congress were among 24 candidates in Gwalior, while there were a total of 13 candidates, including Manik Singh (Cong) and Kunwar Singh (BJP), in Sidhi.

Gwalior and Sidhi seats fell vacant after the sitting MPs Ramsevak(Cong) and Chandra Pratap Singh(BJP) respectively were disqualified after being caught in the cash-for-query scam.

In Udaypura constituency in Raisen district, Vidisha's BJP MP Rampal Singh's wife Shashi Prabha(BJP) and Saheb Singh Patel(Cong) were among 8 candidates.

The seat fell vacant due to the resignation by Mr Rampal Singh on his election to the Lok Sabha from Vidisha after Mr Shivraj Singh Chouhan vacated it on becoming Chief Minister.

Ms Uma Bharti-led Bharatiya Jan Shakti did not contest the recent byelection.

In earlier byelections since the BJP came to power in 2003, BJP won four of the five Assembly seats and a Lok Sabha seat, while the Congress won an Assembly seat.

UNI