The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) won the Jalandhar West Assembly bypoll in Punjab as the opposition INDIA bloc looked set to give the ruling BJP a jolt in the by-elections for 13 seats across seven states. The INDIA bloc is leading in 10 of the rest 12 seats.
The bypolls are being considered as a litmus test for the BJP, which is reeling from the rude shock of failing to clear the majority mark in last month’s Lok Sabha elections.
The counting of votes began at 8 am at key constituencies in West Bengal, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Punjab and Bihar.
The fiercely contested bypolls, that took place on July 10, are the first since the Lok Sabha election, with the ruling BJP and the opposition INDIA bloc, comprising Congress, Trinamool Congress, DMK and the Aam Aadmi Party, vying for the seats.
