Khanduri wins Dhumakot assembly bypoll

Dehra Dun, Sep 2: Uttarakhand Chief Minister and BJP candidate Maj Gen (Retd) Bhuwan Chandra Khanduri today won the Dhumakot assembly bypoll, defeating Congress candidate Surendra Singh Negi by a margin of 14,171 votes.

According to the Election Office, Maj Gen Khanduri polled 22708 votes against Mr Negi's 8537. Meanwhile, Independent candidate Manish Sundriyal received 848 votes.

The counting of votes began at 1045 hrs in Dhumakot Tehsil with Maj Gen Khanduri leading from the very beginning. The by-election was held on August 29 recording 62.31 per cent voting. Of total 50,893 electors, 31,710 voters, including 18,082 women, had exercised their franchise at 82 polling booths.

The polling was necessitated following the resignation of Lt Gen (Retd) Tej Pal Singh Rawat, then a Congress member, who later joined the BJP.

Maj Gen Khanduri was to secure a State Assembly membership within six months after he became chief minister. He is presently a Lok Sabha member from the Pauri constituency. UNI