Counting for Palghar by-polls today

Mumbai: Counting of votes for the Palghar (ST) Assembly by-polls will be held on Tuesday where Shiv Sena's Amit Ghoda is pitted against Congress's Rajendra Gavit.

The by-polls was necessitated following the death of sitting Shiv Sena MLA Krishna Arjun Ghoda.

Ghoda passed away on May 24, 2015 following a heart attack and his son Amit was given a ticket by the Sena for these polls.

Out of the total electorate of 2.47 lakh voters, 65.24 percent had cast their ballot on the polling day - February 13.

The polling percentage in this bye-election has come down in comparison to the 2014 Assembly Elections, when it was 68.8 percent.

Though it is a multi-cornered contest, the real contest is between Amit Ghoda and Congress candidate, former Maharashtra minister Rajendra Gavit.

The other contestants in the fray include former Sena leader Manisha Nimkar who is this time contesting on a Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA) ticket, Chandrakant Vartha (CPI-M) and Dileep A Dumada (Bahujan Mukti Party).