Bawana bypoll result today: AAP, BJP, Congress wait with bated breath

NEW DELHI: Counting for the Bawana by-election is all set to take place on Monday, with the election deciding the fate of candidates of the three major political parties -the ruling Aam Aadmi Party, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress.

After a poor show in the municipal election in April, the bypoll is considered a litmus test for AAP.

For the Congress, it’s a chance to open their account in the Delhi Assembly, while BJP will look to capitalise on their Rajouri Garden bypoll victory.

In the 70-member Delhi Assembly, AAP has 65 MLAS and the BJP has four legislators.

Bawana, a reserved seat for the SC category, has a strong cadre base for AAP. The party gave its ticket to Ram Chandra, a fresh face.

SC/ST Welfare Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam, who visited the area several times for campaigning, said: “The people of Bawana have seen the development work of the party and are happy with this. We will win there because people want development.” Gautam added that after the win, the pending work in the area would be finished on priority basis.

Meanwhile, Congress is relying on the credibility of its candidate Surendra Kumar, a three-time MLA from Bawana.

Delhi Congress spokesperson Sharmishtha Mukherjee asserted: “Our candidate is a very hardworking person and nobody doubts his credibility.”

Talking about his party’s chances, senior BJP leader Rajiv Babbar said: “We have created a very strong cadre base and the people of Bawana are not at all happy with the work of AAP. They want the development model of PM Narendra Modi.”

BJP has fielded Ved Prakash, who had won from Bawana in the 2015 elections as an AAP candidate.

He had resigned from the Assembly and joined the BJP in March this year, necessitating the bypoll.

Bawana has has 2.94 lakh voters, including 1,64,114 men, 1,30,143 women and 25 third gender voters.

Eight candidates are in the fray but essentially the AAP, the BJP and the Congress are locked in a triangular contest.

The August 23 bypoll in Bawana, one of the largest constituencies in Delhi in terms of a number of electors, saw 45 per cent voter turnout, much lower than the 61.83 per cent recorded in the 2015 Assembly elections.

Voting was held peacefully in 379 polling stations across the constituency. However, an EVM and 17 VVPAT devices had malfunctioned during polling and were replaced without any hindrance to voting.

In the 70-member Delhi Assembly, AAP has 65 MLAS and BJP has four legislators, while Congress is yet to open its account