Pune, Apr 16 (PTI) The counting of votes for the bypoll to Kolhapur North Assembly constituency began at 8 am on Saturday amid tight security arrangements, district officials said.

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The by-election, necessitated following the death of sitting Congress MLA Chandrakant Jadhav due to COVID-19 in December 2021, was held on April 12 in which 61.19 per cent voter turnout was recorded.

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"The counting of votes began on Saturday morning amid adequate security arrangements," an official said.

There were 15 candidates in the fray, and the main fight was between the Congress, one of the constituents of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in the state, and the opposition BJP.

Jayashree Jadhav, the wife of the late MLA, is the Congress candidate, while the BJP had fielded Satyajit Kadam.

(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)