Jind bypoll: Counting to be held on Thursday

Chandigarh, Jan 30 (IANS) Counting of votes for the Jind assembly seat by-election will take place on Thursday, election department officials said here on Wednesday.The counting will begin at 8 a.m. and the result will be available later on Thursday.Voting took place on January 28 with nearly 76 per cent of the 1.72 lakh voters exercising their franchise in the multi-cornered contest.The by-election is a test for all the four major parties in the fray - the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, the Congress, the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and the newly launched Jannayak Janata Party (JJP).The fate of the four main candidates, Randeep Surjewala (Congress), Krishan Middha (BJP), Umed Singh (INLD) and Digvijay Chautala (JJP), will be decided.The bye-election was necessitated after the death of two-time INLD legislator Hari Chand Middha, whose son is in the fray on a BJP ticket.
--IANS js/prs