Congress candidate Ajay Tandon was ahead of his nearest BJP rival Rahul Singh Lodhi by 700 votes after the first round of counting for the Damoh Assembly bypoll in Madhya Pradesh on Sunday, an official said.
The bypoll was necessitated due to the resignation of sitting Congress MLA Rahul Lodhi, who later joined the BJP.
The counting of votes began at 8 am at the government polytechnic college in Damoh in adherence to the COVID-19 protocols, as per the Election Commission's directives, Damoh Collector and Returning Officer Tarun Rathi said.
So far, Mr Tandon has bagged 2,823 votes, while Mr Lodhi has got 2,123 votes, he said.
Victory processions are not allowed, he added.
About 60 per cent of the total registered voters exercised their franchise in the bypoll held on April 17.
