Congress leads in Jharkhand by-poll

Ranchi: The Congress led in the vote count on Thursday for Jharkhand`s Lohardaga assembly by-election.

After eight out of a total 20 rounds, Congress candidate Sukhdeo Bhagat secured 27,824 votes and BJP-backed All Jharkhand Students Union`s (AJSU) candidate Niru Bhagat got 19,672 votes.

Sixtyseven percent of 2.20 lakh electorate voted on December 14 in the Lohardaga assembly by-election to fill up a seat that fell vacant after AJSU legislator Kamla Kishore Bhagat was convicted and handed over a seven-year jail term in July in an extortion case.

There were nine candidates.

The three main candidates were Niru Bhagat, wife of the jailed legislator, Sukhdeo Bhagat and Bandhu Tirkey of Jharkhand Vikas Morcha-Prajatantrik (JVM-P).

The seat is reserved for tribals.