Patna, Nov 5 (PTI) Votes will be counted for the by-elections to the Mokama and Gopalganj assembly seats in Bihar on Sunday.

The counting will begin at 8 am amid tight security arrangements, an election official said on Saturday.

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The polling was held on November 3, and 52.3 per cent votes were cast.

The Mokama seat fell vacant as RJD MLA Anant Singh was disqualified after his conviction in an Arms Act case, while the by-election in Gopalganj was necessitated due to the death of BJP MLA Subhash Singh.

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The elections are crucial as this is the first face-off between the ruling Mahagathbandhan and the opposition BJP after the new government came to power in the state in August.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U) snapped ties with the BJP, and joined the RJD-led alliance, comprising Congress and four other parties, to form the new government.

Fifteen candidates were in the fray in the by-elections. Of them, nine were contesting from Gopalganj and six from Mokama.

In all, 6.10 lakh voters -- Gopalganj (3.31 lakh) and Mokama (2.70 lakh) -- were eligible to vote in the by-elections.

A total of 619 polling booths were set up for the by-elections.

BJP leader Kusum Devi is pitted against RJD's Mohan Gupta in Gopalganj. In Mokama, BJP nominee Sonam Devi is up against RJD's Neelam Devi, the wife of Anant Sigh.

Mokama has been the stronghold of Anant Singh since 2005. He won the seat twice on JD(U) tickets. He fought as an RJD candidate in the 2020 elections and retained the seat. But, was disqualified following his conviction.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)