Jasdan by-poll: BJP leading by 16,360 votes over Cong

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Kunvarji Bavalia is leading by 16,360 votes so far in the Jasdan assembly by-poll.

At the end of the 16th round of counting, Bavalia has bagged 76,963 votes, while Congress' Avsar Nakiya is in second place with 60,565 votes.

Nakiya, a Rajkot district Panchayat member who had once worked closely with Bavaliya, contested the assembly election for the first time. he conceded defeat at the end of the sixteenth round.

The result of the assembly by-poll, which will be declared on Sunday, is keenly watched by the Congress and the ruling BJP as it is being touted as a testing phase ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

It may be noted that the BJP recently conceded defeat to the Congress in three states - Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh.

Jasdan constituency has 2.32 lakh registered voters. The by-poll in the region was necessitated after the sitting MLA, Bavalia, left the Congress party to join the BJP.