7. 45 pm: The Haryana Police on Thursday baton-charged workers from various political parties who created a ruckus outside a counting centre for the bye-election in Jind, complaining about the electronic voting machines, PTI reports. Workers of the Loktantra Suraksha Party and the Jannayak Janata Party have alleged that there was a mismatch in serial numbers of two EVMs.

3.43 pm: Middha thanks people who supported him and the BJP. “There were big leaders in the contest as well, but we have defeated them too,” he says. “We will follow the schemes launched by the prime minister and take them forward.”

3.37 pm: Surjewala says he hopes Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Middha work to fulfill the dreams of the people of Jind, ANI reports. “I was given a responsibility by the party which I fulfilled to the best of my abilities,” he says. “I congratulate Krishan Middha.”

3.21 pm: BJP’s Krishan Lal Middha wins Jind bye-poll seat with a margin of nearly 13,000 votes. Jannayak Janata Party candidate Digvijay Chautala came second and Congress’ Randeep Singh Surjewala was third.

1.26 pm: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot says Safiya Khan’s win is a message from the people, especially ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. “I’m happy that people took a well meditated step,” he says, according to ANI. “They’ve taken right decision. I thank them and express my gratitude. They’ve given a message at a time when it was much needed. It’ll encourage the party ahead of Lok Sabha election.”

1.20 pm: Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister congratulates Safiya Khan for winning the Ramgarh election.

1.18 pm: In Jind, BJP’s Krishan Middha is leading by 9,408 votes after seven rounds of counting, ANI reports. The bye-poll to this seat was necessitated after legislator Hari Chand Middha of the Indian National Lok Dal died in August.

12.08 pm: In Jind, the BJP candidate is now ahead of Jannayak Janata Party candidate Digvijay Chautala by 5,737 votes. After the fifth round of counting, Krishan Middha has secured 21,052 votes, Digvijay Chautala 15,315 votes and Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala 8,813 votes.

12 noon: Khan won 83,311 votes with a vote share of 44.77%, while Singh secured 71,053 votes with a vote share of 38.2%, according to Election Commission data.

11.50 am: Congress’ Safiya Khan has defeated BJP’s Sukhwant Singh by 12,228 votes in Ramgarh Assembly seat. This increases Congress’ tally in the Rajasthan Assembly to 100 out of 200 seats.

11.22 am: In Ramgarh, Congress candidate Saafiya Khan is leading by a margin of 9,724 votes at the end of the 19th round of counting, according to ANI. Khan led with 78,413 votes, while the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Sukhwant Singh is trailing with 68,689 votes and the Bahujan Samaj Party candidate had 23,745 votes.

11 am: In Jind, Jannayak Janata Party candidate Digvijay Chautala is leading with 11,226 votes at the end of third round of counting, according to ANI. The BJP’s Krishna Midha is trailing with 9,350 votes, while Congress’s Randeep Singh Surjewala had 5,813 votes.

10.20 am: Election officials in Rajasthan have said the counting process will comprise 20 rounds, with ballots being counted before the votes on electronic voting machines, PTI reported.

“The Congress is going to win the seat,” Rajasthan Congress President Sachin Pilot says. “People gave mandate to the party in the December 7 elections and the Ramgarh seat too will be won by us.”

9.55 am: Bharatiya Janata Party Rajasthan president Madan Lal Saini says the party hoped to win the election. “People have seen that the Congress government has failed to deliver on its promises,” Saini says. “It had promised to waive farmers loan in 10 days, but more than 40 days have passed and nothing has happened.”

9.30 am: As many as 21 candidates are in the fray for the bye-election in Jind. Randeep Singh Surjewala is in charge of the Congress party’s communications wing and the party’s sitting MLA from Haryana’s Kaithal seat, while the BJP has fielded Krishna Midha, the son of former legislator Hari Chand Midha.

The Ramgarh constituency poll is a contest among the Bahujan Samaj Party, the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party. The Bahujan Samaj Party’s candidate is Jagat Singh, the son of former Union minister Natwar Singh. The Congress has fielded Shafia Zubair Khan, while the BJP’s nominee is Sukhwant Singh. Twenty candidates are vying for the seat.